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Carla Harris

Senior Client Advisor
Morgan Stanley

Carla Harris is a senior client advisor at Morgan Stanley. She was most recently a vice chairman and formerly headed the Emerging Manager Platform and was responsible for Equity Private Placements. In her 30-plus year career, Ms. Harris has acquired extensive industry experience in the technology, media, retail, telecommunications, transportation, industrial and healthcare sectors. In August 2013, she was appointed by President Barack Obama to chair the National Women’s Business Council.

Ms. Harris was named to Fortune's list of “The 50 Most Powerful Black Executives in Corporate America,” Fortune’s Most Influential List, U. S. Bankers Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance, Black Enterprise’s Top 75 Most Powerful Women in Business and “Top 75 African Americans on Wall Street,” and to Essence magazine’s list of “The 50 Women Who are Shaping the World,” Ebony’s list of the Power 100 and “15 Corporate Women at the Top,” and was named “Woman of the Year 2004” by the Harvard Black Men’s Forum and in 2011 by the Yale Black Men’s Forum.

Ms. Harris received an MBA, Second Year Honors, from Harvard Business School and an AB in economics from Harvard University, magna cum laude. She has also received honorary doctorates of law, humanities and business from Marymount Manhattan College, Bloomfield College, Converse College, Jacksonville University, Simmons College, the College of New Rochelle, St. Thomas Aquinas College, Babson College and Fisk University, Wake Forest University, and Felician University.

She is the past Chair of the Board of the Morgan Stanley Foundation and of The Executive Leadership Council, and sits on the boards of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), The Sesame Workshop, Mother Cabrini Health Foundation and is an active member of the St. Charles Gospelites of the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church and the Mark Howell Singers. She is a member of the board of overseers of Harvard University and of the board of directors of the Walmart Corporation, Cummins Corporation and MetLife. Ms. Harris was co-chair of the National Social Action Commission of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

Ms. Harris also is a singer who has sold out concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theatre and released 4 gospel albums:“O This is Christmas," “Unceasing Praise," “Joy Is Waiting," and “Carla’s First Christmas." She is an internationally renowned public speaker and the author of the books, Strategize to Win, Expect to Win and Lead To Win.

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