Executive Director, Boys and Girls Club of Lawton
Associate Pastor, New Life Fellowship Church
Hired as executive director of Boys and Girls Club of Lawton last summer, Jacobi Crowley looked to his staff for suggestions on ways to advance the club and ensure greater success for its 80 members—many of whom are second- or third-generation members.
Like himself, Crowley explained that many people involved with Boys and Girls Club of Lawton have been with the organization since they were kids.
“There’s a longstanding family tradition here,” he told Southwest Ledger last year. “A lot of families have been with us throughout the decades. That speaks volumes toward the organization, the kids, and the people we represent.
“We’re now seeing the fruits of our labor,” he said last week. “I was emphasizing the need for change without taking away from the club’s heritage or traditions, but bringing the club into 2022.”
Boys and Girls Club was recently awarded a $30,000 federal grant to upgrade its technology and equipment, Crowley said. Those upgrades include virtual reality systems, a projector and educational games. The organization is also looking into other grants to renovate and enhance the 60+ year-old facility.
“We put our rec room in a smaller area and our game room is larger,” Crowley said. “Now we’re focusing on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) so, we’re repurposing our computer lab and our classroom into a multipurpose room. This way we can do different activities and workshops to benefit not just club members, but members of the community.”
While earning his bachelor’s degree in special education, minoring in behavioral management, from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Crowley was instrumental in reinstating the university’s debate team and was active in SOSU Leadership, SOSU Wesley Leadership, Young Leaders of America, Generation Progress as well as SOSU Young Democrats.
After college, he coached football at his alma mater, Lawton Eisenhower High School and was a crisis counselor at the Bridge Academy for at-risk students. He has also served as an academic counselor for Cameron University’s Open Doors Program as Southwest Field Organizer for Oklahoma Policy Institute.
Crowley’s commitment to public service has twice prompted him run for state Legislature. First as state representative, and then, at the age of 25, he was the youngest African American candidate to run for Oklahoma State Senate and advance to the general election.
Entering the state’s political arena allowed Crowley to become more aware of the policymaking aspects of government, he said. In 2019, he became a field coordinator for the Oklahoma Policy Institute, where he engaged and educated the community on issues such as inmate recidivism and the need for rural hospitals.
Since that time, Crowley married his wife Rashelle, and the couple welcomed their daughter Naomi Rose into the world. “My beautiful, intelligent wife received her master’s last year,” he beamed. “I watched her do all that while pregnant and it gave me another degree of respect for her. She gave birth to our beautiful daughter who is now nine months old. I get to see my wife, my daughter and myself grow. These are the best moments of my life and I’m truly blessed.”
When the position at Boys and Girls Club of Lawton became available, Crowley sought it as an opportunity to be of service at a more local level, especially education.
“I felt my impact in education, economic development, poverty, direct change and voting would be stronger locally than at the statewide level,” he said. “Everything starts locally.”
Crowley currently serves on the board for Great Plains Improvement Foundation, a Community Action Agency that provides food to families in need. He also serves on the boards for Lawton Parks and Recreation and Lawton Young Professionals.
Speaking of summer goals for Boys and Girls Club, “We want to reach our club’s 120-member capacity,” he said. “We want to focus on the high school level and try to provide programming that can benefit them.”
Crowley envisions positive changes for youths in the community, starting with the schools.
“We are in the 21st century and live in a diverse community,” he stated. “If a student does not see themselves in their teachers or educators, that’s a problem. There should be in some way more diversity in our school systems. You want to hire the qualified person to fulfill that role, but you also want to hire a person who meets that diversity pool to maximize your strength as a community and as an organization.
“If we don’t diversify our organizations, who are we really representing? Especially in education, who are the kids seeing? Are they seeing themselves in those particular teachers? Can those teachers relate to their students? It’s not off of just skin; it’s off of experiences and opportunities in life.
“A lot of people may not know what that progress should look like. So, I think that providing insight can help move us in the right direction.”
When asked if he planned to run for public office again, a grinning Crowley replied was “Who knows?”