Charrise Hart is the Chief Executive Officer of Ready for School, Ready for Life, a collaborative effort to build a connected, innovative system of care for Guilford County’s youngest children and their families. In this role, Hart works with partner organizations to improve early childhood development outcomes for children at every stage, starting with prenatal care and continuing through school entry.
A believer in educational and health empowerment for families, Charrise’s previous role at the YWCA in southeastern North Carolina involved the leadership of an early learning center and health programs. As the CEO, Charrise oversaw the formation of new community programs including an innovative business development initiative for women- Coastal Women’s Ventures, a new early parenthood program for teen mothers and their children, and the expansion of a workforce development program for women with low incomes. Charrise also served as the Chief Operating Officer of the YWCA Greensboro, where she participated in their successful five- year, $5 million major initiatives campaign.
Charrise has been awarded the NC Governor’s Award for Outstanding Volunteerism in Guilford County and the Communities-in-Schools (Greensboro) Volunteer of the Year Award. Charrise also received the Wilmington Business Journal’s Women to Watch award for the Nonprofit Category in 2018. Charrise currently serves on the UNC School of Social Work Board of Advisors and the World YWCA Service Council.
Charrise earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from NC State University, a Masters of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is an MBA graduate of Wake Forest University.