Lara Harris

Lara is a skilled nonprofit leader with over a decade of experience spearheading impactful programs and driving systemic change in socially responsible organizations. Lara brings to Elevate a background in youth development, mentorship, empowerment, and evidence-based community health programming. In addition to her nonprofit management, strategic partnership development, and fundraising expertise, Lara has four years of experience as an educator and instructional technology consultant, plus seven years in corporate business development. She is the co-founder of HERicanes, a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to promoting female leadership and empowerment through a cascading sisterhood of mentorship and social-emotional skill development, and previously served as the Community Health Director for the YMCA of Silicon Valley, overseeing Santa Clara County’s largest CDC-recognized Diabetes Prevention Program, as well as multiple other health intervention and education programs. Lara earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rice University, with a double major in Psychology and Sociology. As the daughter of two first-generation college graduates, she is grateful for the significant trajectory change created and the opportunities afforded to her by her parents’ pursuit of and commitment to higher education. She has a passion for equity, social justice, and the power of the personal journey, plus a dedication to uplifting the next generation of bold leaders.