All About RAYMOND
Raymond Long is a mission-driven leader, strategist, and systems builder whose career spans nonprofit leadership, business operations, and community transformation. A proud Arkansan and military veteran, Raymond brings over fifteen years of cross-sector experience—turning complexity into clarity and ambition into sustainable impact. His work is defined by a deep commitment to helping communities thrive through practical innovation, operational excellence, and a whole-child, whole-community approach to social change.
As the founder and managing partner of Long Impact Group, Raymond guides mission-driven organizations to strengthen their people, systems, and strategy. Through his consulting, he supports nonprofits in building capacity, improving operations, and designing impactful, results-driven programs. His leadership has simplified complex structures, unlocked funding, and positioned organizations for long-term sustainability. Whether streamlining philanthropic programs or launching strategic workforce initiatives, Raymond’s focus remains on building systems that optimize impact and create lasting change.
Raymond’s journey has not been linear, but it has been transformational. In his early-twenties, he had no college degree, no clear career direction, no professional network, and little emotional language to process how his childhood had shaped him. He had potential but no framework for it. Drive but no direction. The words “I want to be great too” weren’t a slogan—they were a quiet cry. A call to heal. A call to believe he wasn’t disqualified. And so he went to work—not just to prove something to the world, but to rediscover his power. Spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and professionally, he began to rebuild. And over the next decade that commitment to becoming led to a life of purpose and impact.
Raymond earned an associate degree, followed by a Bachelor’s in Organizational Management from Philander Smith College, and later a Master of Business Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He served in the United States Army, achieving the rank of Sergeant and deploying to Afghanistan. Upon returning, he launched a youth development nonprofit focused on mentoring and 21st-century skills, served in economic development as Director of Business Retention and Expansion, and later became Director of Programs for the Urban League of the State of Arkansas. At just 31 years old, he was appointed CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas, where he led the agency through unprecedented growth and revitalization.
Throughout his career, Raymond has held appointments on multiple boards and coalitions, including Habitat for Humanity of Central Arkansas, the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the board of City Year Little Rock. He served on the education subcommittee under the first Black mayor of Little Rock and was appointed by two Arkansas governors, one to the Board of Visitors for the University of Arkansas–Pulaski Technical College, and another to the Juvenile Justice Coalition.
Today, Raymond’s life reflects more than professional success—it reflects healing, belief, and faith in action. From transforming corporate philanthropy to expanding youth mentorship programs and revitalizing nonprofits to building workforce pathways for underserved populations, Raymond’s leadership continues to shape communities and systems for the better. Through each season of his journey, one truth has remained: where a child is born should never determine how far they can go. His life is proof of what’s possible when faith meets discipline, and purpose meets opportunity.