Phyllis Harris

Phyllis Harris is the chief legal and risk officer for the American Cancer Society. In this key role for the organization, Phyllis serves as the principal legal advisor to the Board of Directors, the CEO, and the Executive Team. She oversees all legal matters affecting the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), and participates in the development, implementation, and maintenance of policies, practices, and procedures to ensure compliance with all relevant laws and regulations and to manage legal risks. A member of the ACS Executive Team, Phyllis provides trusted, strategic legal guidance to the organization.

Phyllis is a transformational leader with more than 30 years of experience in compliance in the public, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors. She brings legal expertise, executive leadership, and a deep commitment to the ACS mission to her role. She comes to ACS most recently from a role as director of environmental assurance at Amazon, where she quickly implemented a global environmental compliance strategy for Amazon’s store operations for 2,100 facilities around the globe. Phyllis has also served as general counsel, chief ethics, compliance, and government relations officer for the American Red Cross; in several leading legal roles at Walmart; and for nearly 20 years with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Phyllis is also highly regarded in her profession, with awards ranging from a Meritorious Rank Award from President George W. Bush, Innovator of the Year Award from the Financial Times of London; and the Law Department of the Year from the Association of Corporate Counsel, awarded as general counsel of the American Red Cross. She has also served on numerous boards and was the first African American board chair of Converse College, her undergraduate alma mater. Phyllis also holds a JD from the University of Florida.

Phyllis lives in the Charleston, SC, area with her husband Todd. She is a proud parent of three adult children, and a very proud grandmother.