Mel Harris

Background

About Mel Harris

At Philadelphia Anchors for Growth and Equity (PAGE), Mel and their team work to drive equitable economic opportunity for the local business community by leveraging the procurement spend of Philadelphia’s regional anchor institutions. Under the program's PAGE Capital initiative, Mel convenes supplier diversity and financial industry leaders to support the development of innovative solutions to capital access for the diverse business community. Prior to this role, Mel spent over 5 years in the financial services sector, where they underwrote loans for small to medium-sized businesses across the country. They are passionate about democratizing access to capital and fascinated by the burgeoning industries of social impact investment and measurement. Mel is especially curious to explore and develop new models for community investment and cooperative ownership. In 2021, Mel graduated from the University of Vermont’s Sustainable Innovation MBA program with a focus on impact investment. She received her BA in Science, Technology, and Society from Vassar College with a minor in Public Policy Economics. Originally from Boston, she never liked football until she moved to Philadelphia in 2017. Mel currently resides in West Philadelphia and loves playing, dancing to, and supporting live music. A founding member of the Sweet Juice collective (sweetjuicefest.com), Mel and their team organize an annual music festival in Germantown, Philadelphia that brings together hundreds of local artists and residents, empowering community action and engagement through the power of music, art, and joyful connection.