Vice President of Policy, Advocacy, & Strategic Initiatives
Constance Harper (she/her) has the overall strategic and operational responsibility to articulate policy priorities developed in partnership with impacted communities and formulate strategies to advance those priorities, including local, state, and federal legislative and administrative advocacy, and coalition building to advance the Foundation’s mission.
She coordinates the execution of strategic initiatives aimed at shaping and transforming oppressive systems that impact the well-being of children and their community of caregivers through leveraging the Foundation’s financial resources, relationships, and other assets for the causes championed by the communities in Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois.
Constance provides leadership to the Foundation’s cross-cutting functions which include overall strategy, innovation, communications, legal, and leadership development while playing a key role in embedding equity, inclusion, and anti-racism as a process and an outcome throughout the organization.
Prior to joining Deaconess, Constance was the Director of Legislative Outreach at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Before her tenure at DESE, Constance served as a Legislative Analyst in the office of a Missouri State Representative and practiced law.
Constance is a member of the Missouri Bar and California Bar. She earned her law degree from California Western School of Law after undergraduate studies in public relations at Florida A&M University. Constance is a native of St. Louis.