Washington, DC
LIFT-DC
Perry School Office
128 M Street NW, Suite 320
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 289-2525
Fax: (202) 204-0497
LIFT-DC
Columbia Heights Office
c/o CentroNia
1420 Columbia Road NW
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: (202) 332-4200 x1116
Fax: (202) 745-2563
LIFT-DC
THEARC Office
1901 Mississippi Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20020
Phone: (202) 450-2787
Fax: (202) 525-1482
Interested in volunteering?
THE WASHINGTON, DC TEAM
Raël Nelson James
Executive Director, LIFT-DC
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View Bio
At LIFT, Raël leads the organization’s efforts to deepen its impact in the District of Columbia by expanding to serve additional communities throughout the city; partnering with stakeholders in the local nonprofit, business, and government sectors; and raising the profile of the organization in the local media. She formed and leads LIFT-DC’s Regional Advisory Board and oversees client service programming by directly supervising the Regional Program Manager and supporting the work of LIFT-DC’s Site Coordinators and volunteer advocates. In addition, Raël serves as a lead member on LIFT’s National Diversity Committee.
Raël LIFTs because she has a passion for civic engagement and service-based organizations that began when she taught summer enrichment classes to underserved middle school students as a high school teacher with Summerbridge DC (now Breakthrough Collaborative). Since then, that passion has developed into a 10+ year career working in local non-profits that benefit children, families, and the wider District community. As a native Washingtonian, she is committed to ensuring that all District residents can share in the newfound economic renewal and prosperity the city is experiencing.
Prior to joining the team at LIFT, Raël managed foundation and corporate relations at KIPP DC Public Charter Schools; lead black and Jewish high school students through a cross-cultural learning and travel curriculum as Program Director at Operation Understanding DC; and planned conferences at the Institute for Educational Leadership. Raël received a B.A. from Tufts University where she was awarded with the Africana Center Award for Outstanding Leadership. In her role at LIFT, she was selected for the EnVest Foundation’s 40Under40 Award and was the keynote speaker at George Washington University’s Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week Hunger Banquet in 2010.
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Raël LIFTs because she has a passion for civic engagement and service-based organizations that began when she taught summer enrichment classes to underserved middle school students as a high school teacher with Summerbridge DC (now Breakthrough Collaborative). Since then, that passion has developed into a 10+ year career working in local non-profits that benefit children, families, and the wider District community. As a native Washingtonian, she is committed to ensuring that all District residents can share in the newfound economic renewal and prosperity the city is experiencing.
Prior to joining the team at LIFT, Raël managed foundation and corporate relations at KIPP DC Public Charter Schools; lead black and Jewish high school students through a cross-cultural learning and travel curriculum as Program Director at Operation Understanding DC; and planned conferences at the Institute for Educational Leadership. Raël received a B.A. from Tufts University where she was awarded with the Africana Center Award for Outstanding Leadership. In her role at LIFT, she was selected for the EnVest Foundation’s 40Under40 Award and was the keynote speaker at George Washington University’s Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week Hunger Banquet in 2010.
