Heather Foster is a public policy executive and political strategist with both federal government and private sector experience. She currently works as Head of Global Policy at Lyft Inc. managing a team of government affairs professionals who execute policy engagement and strategic partnerships with federal and international policy stakeholders. She previously worked at Finn Partners as a Vice President developing communications and public engagement strategies for corporate and philanthropic clients.Heather also served in the Obama administration as White House Public Engagement adviser to President Obama overseeing his engagement efforts with the civil rights community including key speeches and public policy meetings with both elected and community leaders. She also served as his direct liaison to African American leaders navigating complex issues on race and policy including the Charleston 9 mass shooting , introduction of the Affordable Care Act and dismantling racial bias within the education and criminal justice systems. Before coming to the White House, Heather was a policy and outreach adviser at the U.S. Department of Education and worked on several local and national political campaigns in Atlanta, Chicago, and Miami.She has been recognized by National Journal as one of its “25 most influential women in politics” and by Ebony Magazine as one of its “Political Women on the Rise”. She coauthored West Wingers with several of her Obama White House colleagues and makes regular appearances on MSNBC and Sirius XM radio providing political commentary and analysis. Heather serves on the board of the nonprofit Step Up which provides mentorship to under resourced women and equity advisor to Sephora Global guiding them on diversity and inclusion.