La’Wana Harris, CDE, ACC, Harris is a Certified Diversity Executive, an ICF Credentialed Coach, and a global leadership development professional who has over 20 years experience in large multinational pharmaceutical companies. Her most recent book, Diversity Beyond Lip Service: A Coaching Guide for Challenging Bias, introduces an “inside out” approach for diversity, equity, and inclusion, (DEI) and is the foundation of her coaching paradigm. La'Wana is contributing to the coaching industry with this body of work merging DEI, leadership development and professional coaching spaces. She developed a coach training program designed to equip coaches and leaders that are pursuing their development to become Certified Inclusion Coaches.

La'Wana has demonstrated success strategizing a range of corporate functions including global leadership and organizational development, diversity and inclusion and people leadership. In addition, La'Wana is an affiliated faculty member in Organizational Dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Spanning the decades of her professional career and social justice activism, La’Wana has received numerous industry and community awards. Most recently, La’Wana was recognized in the100 Most Inspiring People in the life-sciences industry by PharmaVOICE magazine and the recipient of the Women in Leadership award from the National Black MBA Association. She has also served as a guest lecturer at UPenn, and was invited to join the Forbes Coaches Council as a contributor and thought leader. 

La’Wana is also a respected humanitarian and philanthropist. Understanding how important it is for children to read books with characters they can relate to she created two book series featuring children of color. These books promote cultural diversity and are translated in the native languages of underserved nations. La’Wana has donated 10,000 books in Haitian Creole to schools and orphanages throughout Haiti in partnership with Grace International. Through her efforts, U.S. sales from these books help support young females entering careers in STEM.

A servant leader, foreign and domestic missionary, and a passionate activist, La’Wana believes in meeting people where they are to combat racism, poverty and injustice.