About Shaquayah
Shaquayah McKenzie is a leading impact strategist, known for her ability to organize systems and people to drive progressive change. Whether spearheading violence prevention campaigns as a teenager, leading national voting initiatives in college, teaching in public school classrooms, or advising in boardrooms, she has been an acute systems thinker with a relentless commitment to innovation, equity, and opportunity.
As a nationally recognized social entrepreneur, Shaquayah advises change agents across academic, philanthropic, private, and public sectors. She is sought after to create opportunities in business, education and community development. A dynamic speaker, her sharp commentary inspires audiences to critically examine systemic designs to develop actionable solutions for a more just world.
Shaquayah is the CEO of Hutchinson and McKenzie Enterprises, a social ventures group named in honor of her late father and great-grandfather, whose sacrifices paved the way for her family’s American Dream. Additional previous professional roles include serving as a board member and the Major Gifts Officer at Arts for Learning Maryland, Director of Development & Operations for Carmelo Anthony's Foundation, Career and College Readiness Director for the Baltimore Curriculum Project, and Lead Teacher at the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women.
Shaquayah made history as a student leader at Morgan State University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English & Philosophy, and she holds a Master of Science degree in Education from Johns Hopkins University. She is proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a Teach for America alumna and affiliated with several progressive organizations. Her impact has been widely recognized through various platforms including being honored as a leader continuing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy, named one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Maryland by Women We Admire, celebrated as a 2023 Women’s History Month “Ladies & Politics” honoree by Black Girls Vote and Moët & Chandon, Motor House’s Celebration of Resistance Activist Honoree, The Daily Record’s Movers & Shakers, and HBCUBUZZ’s 30 Under 30. She has also been featured as a speaker on CBS News, Fox News, BET, TV One, The Baltimore Sun, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Black Star Network, and other media platforms.
A proud first-generation Jamaican-American, Shaquayah attributes her success to faith, perseverance, and her family’s unwavering belief in "One Love"—the idea that anything is possible through collective effort. Above all, she is committed to leaving behind a better world for her children, Sage and Sian, than the one she inherited.