For Keonta’ S. Ramsey, leading Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry isn't an introduction to the mission. It's the next chapter in a relationship she's spent years helping build.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry (BBBSL) has named Ramsey as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), elevating the James Island native, longtime youth mentor, and accomplished nonprofit advancement leader from the organization's Board of Directors to its highest staff leadership role. The appointment brings together two defining threads of Ramsey's career: a deeply personal commitment to mentoring Lowcountry youth, and a demonstrated ability to turn relationships into resources, partnerships, and sustainable organizational growth.
Ramsey served on BBBSL's Board of Directors from January 2024 through July 2026, chaired its Development Committee, and served on the Selection and Communications Committee. Her connection to mentorship extends well beyond the boardroom. Over the past decade, she has worked directly with young people across the Charleston region through several mentoring and academic enrichment programs, helping students develop confidence, life skills, academic readiness, and pathways toward their futures.
“Big Brothers Big Sisters has spent 122 years proving that one committed adult can change the trajectory of a child's life, and that kind of resilience doesn't happen by accident. It happens because the mission is that essential, generation after generation,” Ramsey said.
The Big Brothers Big Sisters movement has demonstrated the enduring power of one-to-one mentorship. As BBBSL looks toward its own next chapter, Ramsey says the organization's future will be built around three priorities: stability, unity, and reach.
CLW | Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry
Those priorities include strengthening the organization's foundation and the support provided to existing matches, building greater collaboration across the Lowcountry's mentoring community, expanding philanthropic and corporate investment, and recruiting more mentors to reach young people waiting to be matched.
“I was born and raised right here on James Island, and the Lowcountry isn't just where I'm from; it's home," Ramsey shared. I believe real growth happens when you're rooted in community. With the support of family, partners, colleagues, and this incredible community behind me, I don't just want to simply grow this organization — I aim to ensure every individual attached to our mission flourishes. From our incredibly dedicated staff, courageously committed board members, selfless volunteers, and most of all the next generation of change makers, community leaders, and well-rounded citizens — our mentees. That's the ecosystem of connectivity I intend to build as this organization's leader.”
Mission Experience Meets Growth Leadership
Professionally, Ramsey brings significant experience in nonprofit advancement, fundraising, communications, and stakeholder engagement. Most recently, she served as Director of Development for CLIMB Fund after advancing through several roles within the organization. There, Ramsey played an integral role in capitalization development, driving strategies that resulted in the acquisition of $8 million in lending capital and more than $750,000 in operating grant funds. She led outreach to more than 125 bankers, executives, and community leaders, helping secure four first-time funders and contributing to the organization's largest capitalization achievements in its 46- year history.
That combination of fundraising acumen and mission experience will be central to Ramsey's charge at BBBSL: strengthening the organization's capacity so it can deepen its impact and reach more young people.
“My goal is simple, even if the work isn't: a deeper sense of unity, community and collaboration among the mentor-based nonprofits of the Lowcountry, working together instead of in silos,” Ramsey said. “Internally, that means strengthening the match support our Bigs and Littles already rely on, growing our financial capacity to serve more youth, and recruiting the Bigs we need to close the gap on our mentorship waitlist. No child should be waiting for a mentor who's ready and willing to show up for them.”
For Ramsey, those priorities come from firsthand experience. Before joining the BBBSL Board, she mentored a Burke High School student through Doors to Dreams, helping the student develop an elevator pitch, resume, networking skills, and confidence in pursuing post-graduation career plans. She later served as a mentor and group leader with Be A Mentor, providing weekly support to a student at Early College High School. For nearly nine years, Ramsey also served as Director of The Carnegie Program through Race4Achievement, coordinating academic tutoring and mentoring for high school students throughout the tri-county region.
Board Leadership
“Ms. Ramsey has already demonstrated her commitment to this mission, first through her own work mentoring young people, and then through her service on our Board. As former Chair of our Development Committee, she also understands what it takes to build the relationships and resources that sustain this work. The Board believes Ms. Ramsey brings the combination of passion, strategic leadership, and community connection that Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry needs for this next chapter,” said Jaymes McCloud, Board Chair of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry.
Investing in Mentorship, Investing in the Lowcountry
As Ramsey assumes leadership, BBBSL will look to deepen relationships with businesses, foundations, community organizations, and individual supporters that see mentorship as more than a youth-service intervention, but as a long-term investment in the Lowcountry. For more than a century, the Big Brothers Big Sisters model has centered on one-to-one mentoring relationships designed to help young people realize their potential. Locally, Ramsey believes expanding that impact will require the entire community to see itself as part of the solution.
“There is extraordinary potential in the young people growing up in our community right now,” Ramsey said. “Our responsibility is to make sure they have people willing to see it, nurture it, and consistently show up for them. Every new Big, every partnership, and every dollar invested gives us an opportunity to put another young person in a relationship that can help shape what's possible for their future.”
Ramsey holds a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology with a minor in Health Promotion from Coastal Carolina University. She was named a 2024 Forty Under 40 honoree by the Charleston Regional Business Journal and a 2026 SC BIZ Top 100 Women honoree. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the YWCA Greater Charleston Board of Directors and has held numerous community leadership roles.
As BBBSL enters this next chapter, Ramsey invites community members, businesses, and partners interested in supporting the organization’s mission or becoming involved in upcoming programs and events. To connect with her directly, email ceo@bbbslowcountry.org. Opportunities to engage this fall include The BIG Raise, beginning October 1.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry (BBBSL) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to creating and supporting professionally guided, one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Serving Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties in South Carolina, BBBSL carefully matches adult volunteers ("Bigs") with local children ("Littles"), ages 7 through high school graduation, to foster resilience, self-confidence, and long-term academic success. By building safe, meaningful relationships, the agency works to change the lives of local youth facing adversity and the broader Lowcountry community.