Chief People Officer
As Chief People Officer at New Venture Fund, Lessie stewards NVF’s equity and belonging commitment, goals, and priorities; serves as a strategic partner and resource to hosted projects on culture, team-building, capacity-building, and employee engagement; and provides oversight and support on HR operational matters.
Lessie brings to NVF more than 15 years of human resources leadership and equity and belonging experience in healthcare, direct service, and social justice environments. Prior to joining NVF, Lessie served as the first Chief People Officer at Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, an LGBTQ+ focused healthcare network where she was a key driver of diversity, equity, and inclusion talent efforts, while also supporting a diverse workforce for three health centers across New York City. Lessie’s experience also includes serving as the National Director of People Capability & Culture at Amnesty International (USA), supporting their workforce across six US offices, and as Associate Vice President of Human Resources at the pre-merger Planned Parenthood of New York City, which at the time had five health centers throughout New York City and a workforce of 400+.
Lessie earned a BA in Psychology from SUNY Stony Brook and a MBA from the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College.