Clarissa Love leads Start Early’s continuing journey in becoming an inclusive organization that creates large-scale improvements across the early childhood system to ensure every young child has access to early learning and care experiences.

She brings more than 12 years of experience on DIB issues within academia, community and nonprofit sectors. Previously, Clarissa served as the diversity and inclusion consultant at University of Michigan’ academic medical center, Michigan Medicine. In this role, she developed a DIB strategic plan that created opportunities for individual growth and development, enhanced team culture and strengthened networks to build internal and external community inclusivity.

She is a trained facilitator in unconscious bias, hiring and selection best practices and intergroup dialogue. Her research interests include: DIB strategy, organizational engagement, disability and health care access.

Clarissa is a graduate of Hampton University (a Historically Black College and University) and is a native of Illinois. She resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her husband Sean, two children and two fur babies, Summer and Harris.