Lori Pampilo Harris (she/her/o’ia) is a public policy adviser and systems thinker, centered on housing justice and racial equity. Lori has had the privilege to work with the public sector at every level of government, with elected officials, federal entities, Tribal Nations, governments outside of the United States, and NGOs who seek to increase high-level engagement on complex issues and invest in the communities they serve.
Through the lens of being Indigenous Pacific Islander (Kānaka Maoli) and a Filipina, with lived experience of homelessness, poverty and displacement, these successful initiatives were made possible by encouraging collaborative governance, which brings together government change agents and BIPOC community members and group, to develop new policies and norms that prioritize racial and social justice. This strategy acknowledges the need for creating relationships and trust to address and correct historical and contemporary harm, while working together to create a new and revolutionary system.
Some of Lori’s most recent efforts include; supporting the planning and the implementation by Oregon Governor Kotek, in her Executive Order declaring a state of emergency on housing and homelessness, supporting the State of California, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Tribal Nations and local communities, to quickly rehouse individuals and families experiencing homelessness, while addressing racial disparities and harmful policies in the systems that serve those populations.
Lori has also served as Senior Adviser on Homelessness to Mayor Buddy Dyer of the City of Orlando and launched the Homeless Strategy Office for the City of Austin. In both roles, Lori led the development of a community-wide implementation infrastructure that supports collective alignment, action-oriented decision-making, and mutually reinforcing activities aimed at achieving common goals while decolonizing policies and practices. Prior to her appointment with the City of Orlando, Lori spent fourteen years with Habitat for Humanity International in various leadership capacities with expertise in disaster recovery and response, affordable housing policies, emergency shelter solutions, resource development and advocacy. This included four years in Haiti, after the devastating 2010 earthquake.
