Kim Salas Harris joined the Harvard Chan School in September 2023 from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government (HKS), where she was the assistant director in the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. In that role, she served as a key diversity and inclusion strategist, collaborating with faculty, staff, and students across HKS to build a more diverse, inclusive, and welcoming community.
Prior to HKS, Kim served as Associate Director of the Health Careers Opportunity Program in the College of Health Sciences at Marquette University, acting as a diversity and inclusion leader for the College, collaborating with faculty and staff across the campus to recruit and retain underrepresented students in the health careers pipeline by expanding diversity and inclusion outreach and programming.
Kim has an undergraduate background in sociology from California State University, Fullerton and a graduate degree in Social and Cultural Analysis of Education from California State University, Long Beach. Her education has trained her to critically analyze the systems, policies, procedures, cultures, and histories that impact the experiences of students, staff, and faculty in higher education. Also, as a first-generation queer woman of color, she understands the unique challenges that folks from structurally marginalized backgrounds experience navigating the complexities of the higher education system.
In her free time, Kim enjoys biking, exploring the outdoors, cooking Mexican food, and spending time with her family and friends.
