Maya Lakshmi Harris is an American lawyer, public policy advocate, and television commentator. She is a political analyst for MSNBC and in 2015 was appointed as one of three senior policy advisors to lead the development of an agenda for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. She was formerly a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. From 2008, until she took her current position, Harris was Vice President for Democracy, Rights and Justice at the Ford Foundation. Prior to joining the Ford Foundation, she served as the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California. Before joining the ACLU, the former law school dean was a Senior Associate at PolicyLink. Harris has authored two publications which include a report highlighting community-centered policing practices nationwide and an advocacy manual for police reform. She served as campaign chairwoman for her sister Kamala Harris's 2020 campaign for president until the campaign's suspension. Kamala Harris is now the Democratic nominee for Vice President, as Joe Biden’s running mate.