Olivia Harris

About Olivia Harris

In 2014, my nephew passed away from congenital heart disease. He was 5 months old.Did you know that CHDs are 60 times more prevalent than childhood cancer? Did you know CHDs are the most common type of birth defect, impacting about babies in the U.S. each year?No? I didn’t either.Through my volunteer work with the Children’s Heart Foundation and The Make-A-Wish Foundation, my eyes were opened to the world of critical pediatric illnesses. In this world, parents have to choose between going into work or staying at their child’s hospital bedside. They have to choose between paying their home’s utility bills or paying their child’s hospital bills. They are forced to become experts in medical procedures they’ve never even heard of in order to become the best advocates for their children (because their children’s lives may very well depend on it). Suddenly, my work as a CPA doing SEC reporting for a publicly traded women’s retailer seemed less important, and my desire to help these families took a stronghold.Eventually, in 2018, I was able to transition out of my corporate accounting job into the nonprofit industry, and I haven’t looked back since. My desire to lend a hand to make life a little easier for these families is what continues to drive me to succeed.Through creative problem-solving, second-to-none client service, and my unique ability to remain fiscally responsible, I am able to make a difference in the lives of those who need it most as an asset to the organizations I am involved with. I lead by example, having learned under some of the most talented and genuine executives across the accounting and nonprofit industries. I strive for excellence and innovation, because when I excel at what I do, children battling critical illnesses and their families benefit. Families like my nephew\'s benefit.“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” – Mother TeresaIf you would like to cast stones across the waters with me, let’s connect!

Experience

1. Lead Manager, Chapter Investments

   Make-A-Wish America

   Jan 2022 — Present

Education

• St. John's University

  Master of Science (M.S.), Accounting

  2009 — 2010

• St. John's University

  Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Accounting

  2007 — 2010

• University at Albany

  Certificate of Graduate Study, Nonprofit Leadership and Management

  2020 — 2021