Keynon Lake

Mr. Lake is renowned as a speaker, former radio host, author and social worker with nearly 20 years of community involvement and outreach to his credit. Raised by his mother and father Robin & Bennie Lake, Keynon is a home grown Ashevillian native. With a family legacy in Basketball Keynon followed in his father’s footsteps being one of the best basketball players in the Western NC area and state. His father and Asheville native Bennie Lake played with the Original Harlem Globetrotters.

Since 2003, Mr. Lake has been active as a social worker for the Buncombe County Department of Social Services. He established My Daddy Taught Me That, a developmental mentorship program for young men between the ages of 12 and 19, in 2012. Based on his 2012 book of the same name, My Daddy Taught Me That partners with schools, and other pertinent professionals to help address the pipeline to prison and others dealing with the juvenile court system to provide academic, social and emotional support. My Daddy Taught Me That does this through tutoring, discussion groups, field trips and career training opportunities. Mr. Lake describes the organization’s mission as providing young men in the Asheville area with the opportunity to experience what it means to be men by focusing on being accountable for their actions and decisions. Also by reaching back and uplifting the youth that come behind them.

In addition to his community outreach work, Mr. Lake has started on his second book titled “My Father Is Still Teaching Me.” Attributing his success to his lord & savior, he believes that he has had a light placed into his heart and a platform set before him to fulfill his purpose. While he is frequently encouraged to run for political office, for now he prefers to focus on his immediate community involvement. In the coming years, Mr. Lake hopes to expand My Daddy Taught Me That into a national program while transitioning toward consulting work.