MEET OUR CEO
Energy, ambition, and passion are terms to describe Harkness' professional career trajectory. After graduating North Carolina State University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies and Community Development, Harkness obtained a Master of Legal Studies degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Harkness is certified in Business Analytics and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace.
Harkness led the following special projects at Legal Aid of North Carolina: staffing the Affordable Care Act Helpline for North Carolina residents, recruiting pro bono attorneys for the Lawyer on the Line program, and hosting a televised Call-for-All day coordinating volunteer attorneys to provide legal advice to residents statewide.
In 2016, (similar to her great-aunts and uncles from NC) Harkness head up north to New York for better opportunities. Harkness' role was to develop and manage a project under the Legal Service’s Corporation Pro Bono Innovation Fund, a federal grant. This grant combined innovative remote technology solutions with legal services providers to expand the reach of legal services in rural counties in upstate New York. Here she developed and fostered an interest in anti-discrimination laws, priority-setting, and Equal Employment and Affirmative Action policies.
This role combined her interests in technology, public service and law. Harkness' efforts led to developing one of the first innovative, remote pro bono programs, that is now being replicated by law firms, law schools and bar associations throughout the country. Harkness recruited, trained, and managed volunteer advocates within and outside of New York State, all from different walks of life as far as New Zealand, St. Kitts, The Netherlands, and Pakistan, to provide legal services to litigants within urban and rural counties in New York State.
In 2018, she was recognized with the Capital District Women’s Bar Association Exemplary Community Service Award (formerly known as Distinguished Non-Attorney Award) which recognizes a distinguished individual’s service to the greater Capital District community, promotes the advancement of women who are involved in or affected by the legal system, and provides other sustained acts of public service and community education. Harkness is a Co-chair of Support the Port, Inc. a North Carolina nonprofit that enhances, cultivates and provides a renewed sense of community ownership and excellence for underserved communities, was among the first cohort of the Spectrum Pay-it-Forward program and the Professional Development Consortium’s Valuing Inclusion, Belonging & Equity with Suppliers (VIBES) program, a member of the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce and has served as a New Leaders Council Fellow.
Harkness has committed her entire career to public service by developing and expanding projects and as a result, has held numerous leadership positions including, Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Officer, Interim Private Attorney Involvement Director, Program Manager, and Chief of Case Management.
Harkness has facilitated presentations and workshops at the following conferences:
- ABA/NLADA Equal Justice Conference
- Civil Legal Aid Technology Conference
- National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Regional Conference
- NYS Partnership Conference
- Pro Bono Institute Annual Conference
- Technology Initiative Grants Conference
Frustrated and inspired by the uprising of the racial justice movement and the importance of leading by example, Harkness formed Harkness Consulting Solutions, LLC to transition her career out of legal services and into management consulting and police reform. Harkness joined the Government Law Center at Albany Law School to take the lead role in providing substantial services to assist the City of Albany Community Police Review Board in fulfilling its mission, including managing the Board’s work, processing complaints, overseeing students’ research, and participating in community outreach and education. Harkness expanded her efforts into police oversight by transitioning to the City of Rochester to effectively assess and implement administrative and support processes by focusing on defining, understanding, and improving the activity flow of the Police Accountability Board’s case management system. This Spring, Harkness will be joining the second largest public pension fund in the state (one of ten largest in the nation), New York State Teachers' Retirement System, as their Assistant Director of Enterprise Planning and Development.
Today, Harkness enjoys working with groups on implementing equitable policies, procedures, processes, and practices into their businesses and institutions. Her wellness activities include traveling the world, engaging in cultural experiences. Her most recent travels were to Doha, Qatar (during FIFI 2022), Bali, Indonesia, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Contributing to this firm means that you will also be contributing funds to support youth mentorship, scholarship, economic development, and financial literacy initiatives for underprivileged groups, locally and internationally.
