Nik Harris

Hrc Director Of Strategic Outreach And Engagement

Shenika “Nik” Harris (she/they), is a queer gender non-conforming attorney, activist, and speaker. She is a native of Tallahassee, Florida and obtained her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Florida A&M University and her law degree from Florida State University. She is licensed to practice law in Florida and Washington DC.

Nik currently serves as the Director of Strategic Outreach and Engagement for the Human Rights Campaign and previously served as the LGBTQ Consumer Advocate for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. This position was appointed by Commissioner Nikki Fried and was the fi r st LGBTQ position to a member of the Florida Cabinet. Prior to this appointment, Nik served as Senior Attorney at the Florida Department of Transportation and as a prosecutor at the Florida Department of Health. Nik conducts training on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is certi fi e d by Cornell University in Diversity & Inclusion.

She was the fi r st Black woman elected to serve as Vice-Chair of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) National Board of Governors. She serves on the boards of Ruth’s List and IGNITE Women’s Services, is Vice-President of the Dolphin Democrats (Broward County’s LGBTQ Democratic Caucus), Vice-President of the Florida LGBTQ Democratic Caucus, serves on the Broward County Sheriff’s Social Justice Task Force, the Broward State Attorney’s Advisory Council and is a BIG in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Pride Program. In 2020 she was selected as a Victory Empowerment Fellow, one of eight people selected from across the country. She was elected as a Biden Presidential delegate in 2020 representing Florida’s 22nd Congressional District.

One of her proudest achievements is the founding of “Thou Art Woman”, a signature open mic event, with her friend and fellow attorney Ghenete “G” Wright. The event series celebrates LGBTQ women and their allies through performance and visual art. Attorney Harris has been the recipient of countless awards, including the 2019 Ruth’s List: Women Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award; and the 2020 recipient of the LGBTQ Leadership Award by the Florida Diversity Council. She is an awardwinning Toastmaster and speaks across the country in support of equality. Her partner is Jasmin Lewis, an award winning educator and activist.