Gena Lewis, JD has joined The Kresge Foundation’s Human Services Program as its inaugural senior fellow, Human Services Program Managing Director Raquel Hatter announced Wednesday, August 25, 2021.

As senior fellow, Lewis will serve as a lead, thought partner and resource for advancing the team’s overall strategy. She will support the development of the Human Services team’s learning agenda, as well as grantee partner engagement and joint learning. She will also assist with furthering place-based efforts and ongoing understanding of the mechanics and tools of systems change with the application of a racial equity and racial justice lens.

“We are excited to have Gena join us. She is a systems change leader, lawyer, teacher and learner, driven by the best interest of families and communities,” Hatter said. “During her time in Tennessee she played an integral role creating the regulative and administrative environment to support the efforts to integrate a 2Gen approach focused on economic success.”

Having served in the human services sector for more than 20 years, Lewis was most recently a government affairs executive consultant with Ikaso Consulting, responsible for developing and executing strategies and providing subject matter expertise in social services and stakeholder engagement in partnership with public and non-profit agencies throughout the country.

Lewis previously served as general counsel and deputy commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Human Services, where she played an integral part in systems change and organizational transformation within the agency in alignment with the priorities of the state. As a part of these efforts, she worked with the office of the state attorney general and the office of the governor’s counsel.

A native of Flint, Michigan, Lewis earned her Juris Doctorate from Wayne State University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan. She is a former member of the Michigan State Bar and current member of the Tennessee State Bar. Additional certifications include a Professional in Human Resources (PHR-HRCI) and International Public Management Association (IPMA-SCP).