Highland Creek Advisors Announces Team of Founding Partners and Senior Advisors
Washington, D.C. — Following the launch of Highland Creek Advisors by Don Graves, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce, the firm today unveiled its team of Founding Partners and Senior Advisors. Built on decades of leadership across government, economic strategy, and national security, this group will anchor Highland Creek’s work helping leaders navigate risk, seize opportunity, and deliver lasting results.
Founding Team
Eric Morrissette – Senior policy executive with more than 15 years of experience across economic policy, national security, and business development. Morrissette served as Acting Under Secretary of Minority Business Development, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Commerce, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs. His career also includes oversight of economic institutions, including the Federal Reserve System, while managing the House Subcommittee on National Security, International Development, and Monetary Policy, as well as prior service at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and the Central Intelligence Agency. He has worked for leading policymakers in Congress and the White House, including Senate Leaders Charles Schumer and Amy Klobuchar, and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II.
Jere Boyle – Former Senior Advisor for Domestic Policy at the U.S. Department of Commerce and Assistant Vice President and Managing Director of Community and Economic Development at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. At the Chicago Fed, Boyle led a team of professionals to help financial institutions and community stakeholders promote fair and equal access to credit, capital, and economic opportunity. Earlier in his career, he directed municipal economic development efforts for the City of Chicago and the Village of Arlington Heights, Illinois, and worked in nonprofit community development with the North River Commission. Boyle holds a B.A. in Political Science and a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois, as well as an MBA from North Park University in Chicago.
Benjamin Haas – Former Chief of Staff of the Bureau of Industry and Security at the U.S. Department of Commerce and Principal Senior Advisor at the White House Office of the National Cyber Director. A lawyer and former U.S. Army intelligence officer with two deployments to Afghanistan, Haas has served across the Commerce Department, State Department, and national security community. Additionally, he served on the Biden-Harris Transition Team. Prior to government service, he practiced law at Covington & Burling, and worked at Human Rights First. He holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School and a B.S. in International Relations from West Point.
Lorena Molina-Irizarry – Founder and CEO of 1iLabs and former Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Census Bureau. Molina-Irizarry has led groundbreaking work in open innovation, data strategy, and ecosystem design, including co-founding the Census Open Innovation Labs and spearheading public–private partnerships to strengthen data integrity and innovation at scale.
Lauren Kerner – Former Special Assistant to SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman and Advisor to Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves. Kerner has managed senior executive teams and advanced priorities spanning domestic and international engagement. She has also worked overseas with an NGO in the Middle East led by Uri Savir and with a mining and green energy company in Australia, and brings experience from political campaigns in nine states. Kerner holds a B.A. in History, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of California, Irvine, and an M.Sc. in Modern Middle Eastern Studies from St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford.
About Highland Creek Advisors
Highland Creek Advisors is a strategic advisory firm helping leaders navigate risk, discover opportunities, and shape strategies for growth. The firm’s principals bring unmatched experience from the White House, U.S. economic and security agencies, global corporations, and mission-driven organizations. Rooted in integrity, discretion, and results, Highland Creek Advisors partners with clients to deliver strategies that endure.
For more information, visit www.highlandcreekadvisors.com.
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