Maya Harris led the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California as Executive Director on her way to becoming a well-known civil rights advocate. She is a lawyer, writer, and public policy advocate, and also served as one of the Senior Policy Advisors for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. She was also Chair of the 2020 presidential campaign of her sister, Kamala Harris.
Harris did not let becoming a single mother at 17 deter her from receiving an education. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California Berkeley in 1989 and enrolled in Stanford Law School that same year. She was Editor of the Stanford Law Review and was involved with the East Palo Alto Community Law Project, where she served as Co-coordinator of the Domestic Violence Clinic and Co-chair of the Student Steering Committee. In 1992, she received her Juris Doctorate “with distinction.”
After graduation, Harris practiced corporate law with a focus on civil and criminal litigation and served as an adjunct law professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law. She went on to become Dean and Chief Executive Officer of Lincoln Law School of San Jose, making her one of the youngest law school deans in American history, and the only Black woman in that role at the time.
After teaching law, Harris became a Senior Associate at PolicyLink, a research and action institute committed to advancing economic and social equity. From 2008 to 2013, she was Vice President for Democracy, Rights, and Justice at the Ford Foundation.
Harris’ writing career includes the essay "Fostering Accountable Community-Centered Policing," which appeared in the book The Covenant with Black America. She also wrote Community-Centered Policing: A Force for Change, Organized for Change: The Activist's Guide to Police Reform, and Making Every Vote Count: Reforming Felony Disenfranchisement Policies and Practices in California. Harris was diagnosed with lupus at age 22 and has also written about living with chronic illness for The Atlantic and Women’s Health Magazine.
Harris has received many awards and accolades, including the Champion of Justice Award from Equal Rights Advocates.