Minnesota Council on Foundations
Trista Harris is president of the Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF), a vibrant community of grantmakers who award almost $1 billion annually. Prior to joining MCF in August, Harris was executive director of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice in Minneapolis, and she previously served as program officer at The Saint Paul Foundation and Minnesota Community Foundation (now Minnesota Philanthropy Partners).

Harris earned her master’s of public policy degree from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, and her bachelor of arts from Howard University, Washington, D.C.

Harris is a passionate national advocate for new leaders in the independent sector, and she currently serves on the national board of advisors of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP). Harris strives to promote best practices in grantmaking that build capacity of nonprofits while creating measurable social change in the community.