Maria Harmon (she/her) is from Lake Charles, Louisiana and currently lives in Baton Rouge, LA. She is one one of the co-founders and co-directors of Step Up Louisiana and Step Up for Action, who advocate for education and economic justice. Maria grew up in a close knit community that nurtured her and encouraged her to be proud of her Blackness! Her values and passion grew from the love and wisdom that was poured into her by the elders in her community. She is very family oriented and loves people. She hopes to build relationships with others in this space, learn meaningful practices that help with healing, and learn more best practices for leadership development.