Lessie E. Askew

Lessie E. Askew, MBA, PHR, SHRM-CP, currently serves as the Chief People Officer at New Venture Fund, where organizational development is championed across the organization and its hosted projects. Prior to this role, Askew held leadership positions at Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, Amnesty International USA, Planned Parenthood of New York City, PowerMyLearning, WITNESS, Kennedy Child Study Center, and several other organizations, contributing to various aspects of human resources including recruitment, employee relations, and performance management. Askew's educational background includes an MBA in Management with a focus on HR and Marketing from Baruch College, alongside a BA in Psychology from Stony Brook University and an Advanced Certificate in Human Resources Management from Molloy University. Additionally, training in Mediation and Conflict Management was completed at Harvard Law School.