Lorraine Hariton
Lorraine Hariton | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 7, 1954 |
| Occupation(s) | Business executive, nonprofit leader |
| Known for | President and CEO of Catalyst; Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs at the US Department of State |
Lorraine Hariton (born November 7, 1954) serves as the president and chief executive officer of Catalyst, a nonprofit organization based in New York City dedicated to promoting the advancement of women in professional environments.
Early life and education
Hariton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematical sciences from Stanford University and completed her MBA at Harvard Business School in 1982.
Career
Starting her professional journey in 1977 at IBM, Hariton spent 15 years occupying roles in sales and executive management. She subsequently led two Silicon Valley startups as CEO: Beatnik from 1999 to 2002, which developed audio software for mobile phones, and Apptera between 2003 and 2005, a company specializing in mobile communications and advertising technologies.
In 2009, Hariton was appointed by Barack Obama as the Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs within the US Department of State. In this capacity, she directed initiatives involving business engagement, commercial diplomacy, and international entrepreneurship programs. Among her accomplishments were founding the Global Entrepreneurship Program, WECREATE aimed at supporting women entrepreneurs, and the International Council on Women's Business Leadership.
Joining the New York Academy of Sciences in 2014 as senior vice president for global partnerships, Hariton played a key role in launching the Global STEM Alliance and its mentoring initiative 1000 Girls, 1000 Futures, designed to inspire young women to pursue careers in STEM fields.
Since becoming president and CEO of Catalyst in 2018, she has led efforts to raise $28 million through a major gifts campaign, which notably included an unprecedented $5 million contribution from Chevron.
Hariton has also contributed her expertise on boards dedicated to women's professional development, such as the UN Women Global Innovation Coalition for Change, Stanford’s Clayman Institute for Gender Research, and Watermark, an organization comprising women executives in the technology sector based in the Bay Area.