Ayanna Parris

Ayanna

Ayanna Parris specializes in helping nonprofit organizations implement human resources and people practices that improve effectiveness and community impact.

Ayanna partners with social justice-oriented nonprofits and education institutions to build capacity through organization design, facilitation, training, and coaching. She specializes in leadership development, managing change, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Ayanna’s values-based approach promotes empowerment, connection, and trust to support teams in achieving shared goals.

Through her 15-year nonprofit career, Ayanna has served in program, leadership, governance and human resources roles. She brought her experience building people solutions in small grassroots organizations to Year Up where she led the expansion of diversity, equity & inclusion practice and worked within the human resources function to build inclusive and equitable policy and practice. Ayanna graduated summa cum laude from Vassar College and holds a Master's degree in Africana Studies from Cornell University.

Ayanna lives in Dorchester, MA with her family.