Ryse Local Ventures (RYSE) is an economic justice consulting firm focused on accelerating the impact and growth of community-focused organizations, businesses, and governments. We add sustainable capacity and support around impact/performance evaluation, market research, program/product design, and strategic planning; we also add executive level interim support in the operations and finance functions. Our goal is to bring equitable business acumen to the forefront for our clients and the communities they serve.
The RYSE client portfolio is intentionally small, allowing us to focus on what matters most to our clients: high-impact results. Our leadership experiences vary across the community/economic development, education, financial services, and nonprofit industries, from local to large, national clients; from rural to urban clients.
About the Founder/Principal
Kayla Baker is the Founder and Principal of RYSE.
Kayla has a wealth of diverse experiences across the asset building, economic mobility, and nonprofit industries. She started her financial career on Wall Street, during the Great Recession, which refined her interests in pursuing work to ensure that the economy works for everyone; this inspired Kayla’s transition to the community/economic development and nonprofit space. Baker has held leadership positions at two community development financial institutions; there, she leveraged her business and financial acumen to produce grassroots solutions for systemic challenges promoting economic mobility. Supporting nonprofit and business executives, Kayla has enhanced clients’ missions, impact, and growth by building relationships and delivering results.