Claire Reid (she/her/ella) is the Chief Impact Officer at the United Way of the Greater Capital Region. Claire collaboratively sets the vision and strategy for the organization’s approach to community and systems impact. She represents the organization on regional and state-wide advocacy coalitions including NYS Can End Child Poverty, Steering Committee of NYS Cash Alliance, Albany County Maternal and Infant Health Community Advisory Board, and Digital Equity Coalition of the Capital Region. Claire co-developed the Region’s first Guaranteed Basic Income pilot, applied specifically to addressing maternal racial health disparities. She also co-created the Region’s first systems thinking fellowship and social innovation incubator. She has presented extensively and published research analysis on the state of financial hardship and affordability in the Capital Region.
Prior to joining United Way, Claire was the Director of the Master’s in Development Practice: Indigenous Development at the University of Winnipeg (Canada), a professional graduate degree program focused on Indigenous social innovation and community-led social change. Claire set curricular and program strategy centering Indigenous knowledge systems and experiences, led partnership development with community-based organizations around the world, and served as a trusted advisor to community, private, public and educational sector colleagues on the importance of self-determined, rights-based development.
Throughout the course of her career, Claire has consistently challenged systemic and structural inequities and injustices. This commitment has taken Claire from her human rights research work at the International Criminal Court (The Hague) to her applied anti-racism and social justice work in Peru, Haiti, and Canada. She has been involved in the implementation of designs of two national Truth and Reconciliation Commissions. Claire’s advocacy work in Peru led to the passing of the country’s first municipal and state anti-discrimination laws, since replicated in dozens of jurisdictions in the country. Claire received her Master of Arts in International Human Rights Law from the University for Peace, (Costa Rica) and a Bachelor of Arts, Honors, in Politics and International Development from the University of Winnipeg (Canada). She is fluent in French and Spanish. She is married and the proud mom of 3 fantastic children.