A dynamic and visionary executive, advocate and entrepreneur, Ayris has been a champion for women, small businesses and underinvested communities for nearly two decades. Her mission-oriented approach to addressing social inequities has led to transformative public-private partnerships with numerous global brands, as well as innovative policies and initiatives in which she has secured over $50M in funding, and overseen more than $100M in grants and subsidies. Ayris has centered her career on creating access, driving solutions and amplifying authentic messaging. She has held leadership roles in Indianapolis, Savannah, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, DC in all three sectors.
Ayris currently serves as Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility & Global Initiatives at Nareit, the worldwide representative voice for REITs and publicly traded real estate companies with an interest in U.S. real estate and capital markets. In this role, Ayris’s responsibilities encompass the social component of Nareit’s environment, social, and governance work, including diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. She also will further develop and oversee Nareit’s global alliances and relationships.
In November 2020, she launched a bold and aggressive initiative to ensure 10,000 Black women entrepreneurs are capital ready by 2025. Prior roles include Chief Service Officer under Mayor Muriel Bowser, Vice President of Economic Growth & Jobs with World Business Chicago and Executive Director of the DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative, a funded priority under President Barack Obama.
As a philanthropist and civic leader, Ayris is the chartering president of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. Metropolitan Washington D.C. Chapter, a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and an alum of Leadership Greater Washington. Ayris holds a B.S. in Broadcast Journalism from Kent State University and a M.P.A. from Baruch College, CUNY, where she served as a National Urban Fellow.
