Jamila Harris-Morrison, MSW’17

Jamila Harris-Morrison, MSW, is the Executive Director of ACHIEVEability, where the mission is to break the generational cycle of poverty for single parent families. Appointed to the role in 2017, Jamila has worked at the organization since 2006 and held roles as Deputy Director and Director of Self-Sufficiency. A lifelong Philadelphian and advocate for vulnerable families, Jamila has dedicated her career to helping families to reach their full potential as contributors to a vibrant community. Like Shirley Chisholm, she believes that service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth. Her work at ACHIEVEability focuses on increasing the independence of homeless and at-risk of homelessness families and preparing them for self-sufficiency by focusing on education, employment/finance, personal development, and parenting skills.

Jamila has over 15 years of experience in counseling, educational, and evaluative services for children and adults. She earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice and graduated with honors from Clark University with a degree in Psychology. In her free time, she likes to volunteer serving as a mentor for Philadelphia Futures, is a member of Women’s Way – Young Women Initiative and the National Association of Black Social Workers. She is an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan, and enjoys running and spending time with family and friends.

“SP2 prepared me to be a leader in my community and reinforced my passion to be a social change agent. Social justice advocates are needed more than ever to solve our world’s toughest challenges such as poverty, homelessness, and equity. From field placement to hone my clinical skills, to courses that allowed me to serve as a strategic consultant to local nonprofits and exposed me to diverse perspectives, I feel confident in my ability to positively impact my community.”