Maya L. Harris Joins Arcus Foundation Board of Directors

December 11, 2017
MEDIA CONTACT:
Andy Marra,
Communications Manager
Arcus Foundation
646-837-8879
amarra@arcusfoundation.org
 

NEW YORK, NY (December 11, 2017) — The Arcus Foundation, a global foundation promoting respect for diversity among peoples and in nature, announced today that Maya L. Harris, a distinguished attorney and public policy advocate, has joined the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

“Maya has dedicated her career to the fields of law and philanthropy, working to expand opportunity, strengthen democracy, and ensure equality for all,” said Arcus Foundation Founder and Board President, Jon Stryker. “We are excited to welcome such an accomplished leader to the Arcus board.”

Harris is a legal and political analyst for MSNBC and, most recently, served as a Senior Policy Advisor to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, where she played a leading role in shaping Clinton’s domestic policy agenda.

Prior to joining the Clinton campaign, Harris was a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, where she authored Women of Color: A Growing Force in the American Electorate, documenting the increasing prominence of women of color in influencing political outcomes.

Harris previously served as the Vice President of Democracy, Rights, and Justice at the Ford Foundation where she led a global team that invested more than $750 million to promote effective governance, increase democratic participation, and protect human rights worldwide.

Additionally, Harris served as Executive Director of the ACLU of Northern California, working on issues ranging from racial and criminal justice to LGBT and reproductive rights, and as Senior Associate at PolicyLink, where she conducted research and policy advocacy on community policing issues, and authored the publications, Community-Centered Policing: A Force for Change and Organized for Change: The Activist’s Guide to Police Reform.

Among her many accomplishments in the field of law, Harris was appointed Dean and Chief Executive Officer of Lincoln Law School of San Jose, making her one of the nation’s youngest law school deans at age 29. Harris graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford Law School.

ABOUT ARCUS

Founded in 2000 by Jon Stryker, the Arcus Foundation is dedicated to the idea that people can live in harmony with one another and the natural world. Arcus’ work is based on the belief that respect for diversity among peoples and in nature is essential to a positive future for our planet and all of its inhabitants. The Foundation works globally and has offices in New York City and Cambridge, UK. To learn more, visit: www.arcusfoundation.org

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