Reisha L. Raney is an American business executive and podcaster. In 2018, she became the first black woman to serve as a Maryland state officer in the

National Society Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a Genealogy, lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a Patriot (American Revolution), patriot of t ...

. She previously served as the national vice chairwoman of the society's membership committee division. Raney is the founder and CEO of Encyde Corporation and the founder of ''Daughter Dialogues'', a podcast documenting the narratives of black members of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Early life and education

Raney grew up in

Prince George's County, Maryland Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it ...

. She graduated from

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. She also has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from

Spelman College Spelman College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia ...

. She is a non-resident fellow at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

's W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute for African and African American Studies at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research.

Career

Raney served as the director of internet protocol solutions for Concert, a joint venture of

AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...

and BT, working in New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and in London. She became a data networking account executive and was ranked in the top two of the company's salespeople in the United States. In 2001, Raney founded Encyde Corporation.

DAR and podcast

As a relative of President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

, Raney joined the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

in 2010. She is a descendant of Edwin Turpin, a cousin of Jefferson, and an enslaved woman named Mary, whom Turpon took to Canada to marry. Turpin's home in

Goochland County, Virginia Goochland County is a county located in the Piedmont of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its southern border is formed by the James River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,727. Its county seat is Goochland. Goochland County is inclu ...

was burned down as a result of this union, and in his will he freed his enslaved children. Raney's father was a member of the

Sons of the American Revolution The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), formally the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR), is a federally chartered patriotic organization. The National Society, a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Louisvi ...

. Raney served as regent of a local DAR chapter in

Fort Washington, Maryland Fort Washington is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. It borders the Potomac River, situated 20 miles south of downtown Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 census, it had a popul ...

. In 2018, Raney was elected the Maryland state society's organizing secretary. She was the first black woman to serve as a Maryland state officer of the Daughters of the American Revolution and was inducted in a ceremony in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. She previously served on the national level of the organization as the vice chairwoman of the membership committee division. Raney founded ''Daughter Dialogues'', a podcast documenting the narratives of black members of the DAR, which launched on July 1, 2021.

Personal life

In 2023, Raney married Julian Doe at

Oxon Hill Manor Oxon Hill Manor is a neo- Georgian house of 49 rooms, located at Forest Heights, Prince George's County, Maryland. It was designed in 1928 for Sumner Welles (1892-1961) by the Washington architect, Jules Henri de Sibour (1872-1938). It was bui ...

Oxon Hill, Maryland Oxon Hill is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in southern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Oxon Hill is a close suburb of Washington, located southeast of the downtown district and east of Alexandria, Virgin ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raney, Reisha Living people African-American business executives African-American company founders American history podcasters American interview podcasters American women business executives American women podcasters Daughters of the American Revolution people Georgia Tech alumni People from Fort Washington, Maryland Spelman College alumni Date of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people)