bringing his passion for quantum leap
Some board members come to KW Next Gen because they believe in the mission. Shaq McCray has lived it.
For more than a decade, Shaq has experienced KW Next Gen and Quantum Leap from nearly every angle: as a student, student leader, instructor, speaker, Regional Ambassador, donor and advocate.
Now, he is taking the next step in that journey as a member of the KW Next Gen Board of Directors.
A real estate leader, entrepreneur and coach based in the Maryland/DC region, Shaq has built his career around a central belief: when people learn to think differently, lead themselves with intention and recognize what they are capable of, they can change the trajectory of their lives.
It is a philosophy shaped in large part by his own experience with Quantum Leap.
An Early Drive to Build Something Bigger
Shaq was first introduced to Quantum Leap while attending Towson University. As part of the university’s real estate club, Shaq met one of the club’s guest speakers, John Newman. John would go on to become a critical figure in Shaq’s life (we even made a video about it which you can watch here), developing into a friend and mentor, and today leading as Operating Principal of the market center where Shaq was recently promoted to Team Leader.
What started on one campus quickly grew. The Towson organization became the largest in the school’s history, and Shaq helped expand the concept to students at Loyola University Maryland, the University of Maryland, McDaniel College and Johns Hopkins University.
A Quantum Leap That Became a Way of Life
In his professional life, Shaq has talked about his desire to impact more than transactions. His focus has long been on creating community, developing people and helping others identify opportunities to build the lives they want.
For Shaq, one of Quantum Leap’s most lasting lessons was understanding the connection between beliefs, choices and results.
Rather than operating on default, he learned to become more intentional about who he wanted to become, what he wanted to create and how he would take responsibility for getting there.
That perspective has continued to evolve as he has grown from a 22-year-old Quantum Leap student into a leader and instructor today.
Today, those principles influence how he coaches, teaches and develops others. His goal is not simply to tell people what to do, but to help them shift how they think so they can make intentional decisions, lead themselves and build lives and businesses that extend beyond short-term results.
That work is closely connected to his personal mission:
To empower individuals and communities to reach their highest potential by developing transformational leaders, expanding access to life-changing education and creating pathways to opportunity and generational wealth.
Building Leaders in Business and Beyond
After beginning his career while also working for CSX Transportation, Shaq made the decision to pursue real estate full time with Keller Williams. That decision ultimately led to leadership roles with The Newman Group, recognition among Keller Williams’ Top 500 agents and being named to the National Association of REALTORS® 30 Under 30 Class of 2022.
He has served for four years as a Team Leader within a 400-agent Keller Williams market center, with responsibilities centered around coaching, teaching, recruiting and talent development.
He also leads THINK Real Estate and Catalyst Towson, creating environments where entrepreneurs and professionals can grow through community, accountability and leadership development.
His coaching background adds another dimension to that work. Shaq is an Integrative NLP Coach and Master Practitioner and recently completed trainer certification, allowing him to work with individuals on identity, limiting beliefs, decision-making and personal leadership.
Across each of these roles, his focus remains consistent: helping people recognize their potential and giving them the tools and environments to act on it.
Bringing the Participant Perspective to the Boardroom
Shaq brings something especially valuable to the KW Next Gen Board: firsthand knowledge of what these programs can become in someone’s life.
He understands the experience of encountering Quantum Leap as a young adult. He understands what it takes to move from learning the material to living it. And as an instructor, entrepreneur and business leader, he now has the opportunity to help create that experience for others.
His perspective will be particularly valuable as KW Next Gen continues expanding the ways young adults can move from an initial program experience into deeper relationships, leadership opportunities, mentorship and lifelong engagement with the organization.
His journey reminds us that the impact of a program isn’t always measured by what happens in the room. Sometimes, its greatest impact is what someone chooses to do with it afterward.
Building The Next Chapter
At KW Next Gen, we talk often about helping young adults identify their purpose, build the mindset and skills to pursue it, and then use what they have learned to make an impact of their own.
Shaq approaches board service with the same long-term perspective he brings to his work as a coach and leader.
His interest is not simply in contributing to individual events or programs. He wants to help build something sustainable: a model that develops leaders, expands access and continues multiplying its impact over time.
He brings to the Board the perspective of someone who has received the value of Quantum Leap, applied it in his own life, taught it to others, raised resources to support it and helped introduce it to new communities.
That full-circle experience makes his voice especially valuable as KW Next Gen looks toward its next chapter.
We are grateful for the many ways he has already invested in this community and excited for the perspective, energy and experience he will bring to the KW Next Gen Board.
Please join us in welcoming Shaquille McCray to the KW Next Gen Board of Directors.
