Phyllis Seven Harris has been a dynamic force in the local nonprofit community for the past 20 years.
Beginning with almost a decade as Director of Advocacy and Education at the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center and culminating in her current role as the Executive Director of Cleveland’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center, the Cleveland native has played pivotal roles in a variety of organizations dedicated to improving people’s lives throughout the region.
Ms. Harris directed a major capital campaign for the Cleveland Sight Center, served as Vice President of Programs for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cleveland and spearheaded youth initiatives at Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio. Her leadership in local nonprofit circles also extends to service on the boards SPACES and Community Shares of Greater Cleveland, in addition to the LGBT Center board.
In her current role at the helm of Cleveland’s LGBT Center, Ms. Harris has leveraged both her passion and her multi-faceted experience to lead the organization on a path of sustainable growth and vitality.
Just this past summer, the Center announced it has received the largest single donation in its 39-year history—an anonymous gift of 1.8 million dollars. Together with a $500,000 matching grant from the Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation, this will allow the Center to extend its reach to even better serve the LGBT community through the purchase and renovation of a new, more accessible and versatile facility.
Ms. Harris holds a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baldwin Wallace College.
The proud mother of two children, Ms. Harris lives in Shaker Heights.