NayceQuest’s Start
Illustration of Prudence Crandall’s School for Young Ladies
In the crux of a nation responding to areas of social justice, NayceQuest LLC founder, LeNaya Crandall Hezel, observed non-government organizations and educational institutions struggling to acknowledge and work towards solving inequality within their own communities.
LeNaya comes from a lineage of educators and civil activists who fought for equal educational opportunities, such as Prudence Crandall, the first American teacher to run a boarding school for Black girls in 1832 and LeNaya’s parents, Tom and Cheryl Crandall, Baltimore City and County Public School teachers. The Crandall family is known for not just criticizing inequitable decisions, but taking action to create diverse, equitable, and inclusive communities.
Meet the Founder & CEO
LeNaya Crandall Hezel is a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) organizational strategist. While pursuing her PhD in Sociology at George Mason University, LeNaya founded NayceQuest LLC in 2020 to guide organizations as they explore, dive into a deeper understanding, and discover meaningful ways to shift our culture to be equitable and inclusive. LeNaya has over a decade of experience as a higher education professional supporting underrepresented student populations. Previous to George Mason University, she served as the inaugural Veterans Office Director at Georgetown University, a Certifying Official at The George Washington University.
She holds a Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Growing up LeNaya had two nicknames, Nay and Ace, which evolved to Nayce. The movement of equity, moral and just organizations, and consistent practices of inclusion is not a one-and-done process, but rather a quest. Pulling from her experience as a bi-racial woman, military spouse, sociologist, and a higher education advocate for underrepresented students, LeNaya founded NayceQuest LLC to be a part of the solution and partner with NGOs and educational institutions to inform, educate, and move towards DEI communities.
Pathway Topics
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Strategies include but are not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ, ability, military-connection, socio-economic status.
Student
Experience
Elevating students’ sense of belonging by fostering inclusive educational experiences throughout the student journey.
Employee Experience
Living out an organization’s mission statement for future and current employees to thrive in an inclusive environment.