Constance Harper, Esq. (she/her) has been promoted to Vice President of Policy, Advocacy, and Strategic Initiatives at Deaconess Foundation. As the former Director of Advocacy and Freedom Schools, with more than five years at the organization, Harper brings a breadth of experience and learnings into her new role.

As Vice President of Policy, Advocacy, and Strategic Initiatives, Harper has the overall strategic and operational responsibility to articulate policy priorities developed in partnership with impacted communities and formulate strategies to advance those priorities. These priorities include local, state, and federal legislative and administrative advocacy, and coalition building to advance the Foundation’s mission.

She will coordinate the execution of strategic initiatives aimed at shaping and transforming oppressive systems that impact the well-being of children and their community of caregivers. She will accomplish this task by leveraging the Foundation’s financial resources, relationships, and other assets for the causes championed by the communities in Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois.

Harper will continue to provide 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 Foundation, Harper was the Director of Legislative Outreach at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Before her tenure at DESE, Harper served as a Legislative Analyst in the office of former Missouri State Representative Kimberly Gardner, practiced law and held several public relations and public affairs positions across the country.

Harper is a member of the Missouri Bar and California Bar. She earned her law degree from California Western School of Law after earning a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Florida A&M University. She is a native of St. Louis.