Carla Harris, MBA 1987

When: Friday, November 20, 2009, starting at 6:00 p.m.

Location: The Ritz Carlton, Amelia Island, FL.  (Special hotel room rates available)

About Carla Harris 

Carla Harris graduated with high honors from Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville and went on to Harvard University where she graduated magnum cum laude in Economics in 1984 followed by an M.B.A. from Harvard with second year honors in 1987.   She began her career on Wall Street in 1985 with Morgan Stanley, headed equity capital markets efforts for Consumer and Retail industries, and currently is a Managing Director in Morgan Stanley’s Strategic Client Group providing investment advice to corporations, public pension plans, foundations and endowments.    

In addition to her career as a high profile investment banker, Ms. Harris has always found a way to share her talent as an accomplished and gifted singer.   “I love finance and I like the deal-making business,” says Harris, “but singing is a passion for me.”   She has given two sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall as well as releasing two solo CDs.   Proceeds totaling several hundred thousand dollars have been split between Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville and St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School in Harlem.    

Carla’s professional drive and deep-rooted devotion to singing is matched by her broad impact in community service.   “We were given blessings so we can be a blessing,” she says.  In addition to chairing the Morgan Stanley Foundation (which gave more than a million meals to Boys & Girls Clubs youth this summer to replace their subsidized lunches during the school year), Ms. Harris sits on the boards of several not-for-profits including Food Bank for NYC, The Apollo Theater Foundation, Mt. Sinai Hospital, and the Maya Angelou Research for Minority Health.   In addition, Ms. Harris is an active mentor to a new generation of men, women and African-Americans, authoring the newly released book, Expect to Win (Penguin/Hudson Street Press) in which she shares the lessons she has learned during her twenty years on Wall Street.    

Ms. Harris has been named to Fortune magazine’s lists of “50 Most Powerful Black Executives in Corporate America” and “Most Influential (2005)”.   She also has been named to Black Enterprise magazine’s “Top 50 African Americans on Wall Street”, Essence magazine’s list of “The 50 Women Who are Shaping the World”, and Ebony’s list of  “15 Corporate Women at The Top”,   She also has received bountiful recognition for both professional excellence and community service from such diverse institutions as Harvard University, the Archdiocese of New York, the Girl Scouts, the National Urban League, and the Bill and Camille Crosby Award. 

Carla’s boundless, upbeat energy was learned early in life.   “My parents instilled in me the belief that if I worked really hard, and had faith in God, nothing would stand in my way.”   Such support gave her the confidence to ignore advice such as “advanced classes might be too hard” and “Ivy League schools would be out of reach.”  At a time when mentors were not plentiful for young black women, Harris persisted.   One of her long-standing Jacksonville mentors is prominent Jacksonville attorney Steve Pajcic who will introduce Carla Harris at the Forum event. 

“We are indeed fortunate to have Carla Harris as our keynote speaker,” said Bill Gower, president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Nassau County Foundation.   “She has a remarkable combination of professional, artistic, and civic achievement and is truly an inspirational individual.”   In addition to being part of the 3rd Annual Speakers Forum Friday evening, Carla Harris will visit both Boys and Girls Clubs in Nassau County earlier in the day, speaking directly with kids as part of their after-school activities.  Lead sponsors to-date for the Boys & Girls Clubs benefit include The Ritz Carlton, Amelia Island and Ms. Harris who is donating her time to the gala fundraiser.