Lena Harris joined Bloomberg Associates in May 2024 as a member of the Economic Development team. In her role, she supports city leaders in advancing inclusive economic development and workforce strategies, with a focus on leveraging data, policy design, and innovation to expand opportunity and foster equitable growth.

Prior to joining Bloomberg Associates, Lena founded 195essential, a social enterprise that donated half of its proceeds to charitable causes, combining business innovation with community impact. She later supported small business growth and workforce development at the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts and designed job-readiness and reentry programs for returning citizens through the Guggenheim Fellowship in Criminal Justice Reform. Most recently, she advanced philanthropic initiatives at the Rockefeller Foundation, where she supported grantmaking processes to highlight tax policy as an economic driver for low-income families.

Lena holds a Master of Public Administration in Urban and Social Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Barnard College.