Tabor 100 proudly announces Joanne Harrell as its keynote speaker for the 21st Annual Tabor 100 “Captains of Industry” Gala, an annual affair that brings together luminaries throughout the northwest to recognize and show appreciation for outstanding leadership in the area of equity and social justice.
While Harrell has graced the stage of the Gala as a co-MC with husband and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, Gala attendees will now have the opportunity to hear from one of the most accomplished African American women in the nation.
“Joanne’s life’s work and philosophy represent the ideals held dear by Tabor 100,” said Ollie Garrett, Tabor 100 President and CEO. “We are fortunate to have her headlining our 21st Gala. It is a privilege to hear from a woman whose contributions to this community and the world, have been so profound.”
Joanne has been involved with Tabor 100 for decades and has carried the Tabor 100 philosophy into whatever endeavor she has been involved in. Her life’s work has revolved around the social justice and fairness for which Tabor 100 stands. “I attended the University of Washington and witnessed the work of Eddie Rye, Tyree Scott, Bob Armstead and Hayward Evans and others to promote minority businesses. In every place I have been, the need to ensure our businesses do well has been foremost in my actions. These local civil rights icons and Tabor 100 have been my guiding light.”
Mrs. Harrell was also influenced at a young age to more national struggles for equity. Growing up in Washington DC, she witnessed MLK’s 1963 March on Washington. Later in life she watched Nelson Mandela in conversation with F.W. de Klerk during an International Women’s Forum conference in Johannesburg. As South African President, de Klerk negotiated with Mandela the end of the brutal apartheid system of racial segregation in the country. Mandela, after serving 18 years in prison for actively opposing apartheid, became its first Black President.
In 2017, Harrell marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, with the late civil rights champion and member of Congress John Lewis.Her work in the equity arena is significant. Serving as University of Washington Regent, she spearheaded the effort to make UW the first large public university to create an advisory committee to the Regents on Race and Social Justice. In her recent appointment to the Board of Homestreet Bank, she has become Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee responsible for the bank’s Environmental, Social Justice and Diversity efforts.
Currently, Seattle’s First Lady, Joanne has occupied many roles that had previously been off-limits to minority people, as well as women. She was selected as the first Black CEO in the United Way of King County’s history and during her three years at the helm, oversaw development and execution of marketing and fundraising strategies that vaulted the organization’s revenue from $54 million to $93 million. She also created a $110 million Gates Endowment Fund that offset the organization’s operating cost. Today, the United Way of King County is one of the strongest in the nation.
Harrell’s pre-United Way journey led her to become Vice President and State CEO of US West Communications (now Lumen Technologies) as well as serving on many different boards focused on giving back to the community. The YWCA, Salvation Army, The Atlantic Street Center, Urban League and Seattle Art Museum have all benefited from Harrell’s Board involvement and strategic guidance as she’s leveraged her ability to market and strengthen these non-profit entities over the last 25 years.
Harrell’s most recent executive corporate leadership position, as Senior Director for U.S. Citizenship and Market Development, was a key element of Microsoft’s global community-betterment initiatives in education, technology and ensuring communities worldwide thrive.
As she retired from Microsoft after 20+ years and completed her 12-year tenure as a UW Regent, Joanne summed up her engagement philosophy: “Whatever the seats are which we occupy as ‘the first,’ our greatest impact comes from giving our best and leaving a clear and positive path for those who follow as we work to represent our communities well and push for positive change.”
