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Vanessa Garrison

2015 Speaker

VANESSA GARRISON is a passionate advocate of social justice issues and has focused her work on improving health outcomes and quality of life for Black women and girls. Garrison currently serves as the COO of GirlTrek, a national health movement that she co-founded in 2011. Through grassroots organizing and award-winning social media campaigns, GirlTrek currently supports over 25,000 walkers and inspires an ever-growing network of 200,000 supporters. Prior to co-founding GirlTrek, she worked as a program coordinator for Our Place DC, a nonprofit organization that provides services to currently and formerly incarcerated women. Garrison began her career working in digital media with Turner Broadcasting System. Inc. in Atlanta, GA., where she managed digital media projects for some the world’s most recognizable news and entertainment brands, including, CNN, TNT and Sports Illustrated. She was awarded Teach For America’s 2012 Social Innovation award and was named among the top 1% of global social innovators by Echoing Green. She has been featured on NPR, CNN and the New York Times. In 2013 Garrison was appointed to serve on the Washington D.C. Bicycle advisory council, where she advises the Mayor and district agencies on bicycling issues. Garrison earned a B.A. in World Arts and Culture from UCLA. @girltrek