Rafat Fields
Founder & CEO, Powered to Rise
Architect of Power & Possibility
Rooted in Community
I was raised on the South Side of Chicago, in the Rainbow Beach neighborhood—where block parties, classroom warriors, and church mothers taught me more about leadership than any textbook ever could.
My first model of transformation was my mother, an inner-city schoolteacher who turned under-resourced classrooms into places of possibility. She taught me that care is strategy—and that showing up for people is its own form of power.
Care is strategy. Showing up for people is its own form of power.
Education as Cultural Power
I was raised on the South Side of Chicago, in the Rainbow Beach neighborhood—where block parties, classroom warriors, and church mothers taught me more about leadership than any textbook ever could.
My first model of transformation was my mother, an inner-city schoolteacher who turned under-resourced classrooms into places of possibility. She taught me that care is strategy—and that showing up for people is its own form of power.
Two Decades
of Impact
For over two decades, I’ve worked across the healthcare ecosystem—from frontline clinical support to digital transformation, policy strategy, and enterprise-level change. I’ve walked hospital hallways and sat in Medicaid boardrooms. I’ve advised national campaigns and stood on community corners listening to the real stories that rarely make it into the data.
Many of these systems aren’t broken—they were designed this way.”
My Career Footprint
The
Pandemic &
The Pivot
The pandemic shattered any remaining illusion I held. I watched the weight fall—again—on the very people holding our communities together.
It broke something open in me. I knew I couldn’t just keep translating equity into someone else’s language. I had to build a new table.
The Birth of Powered to Rise
That’s why I launched Powered to Rise.
We help purpose-driven leaders build platforms, tell their stories, and access the rooms where real decisions are made—without reshaping who they are to fit someone else’s mold.
“This is about more than visibility. It’s about voice. Value. Velocity.”
A Season of
Expansion
I also knew that to shift systems, I’d need to walk the halls where power gathers. That’s what led me to Harvard Medical School, where I joined the Global Healthcare Leaders Program.
I studied alongside an extraordinary cohort: public sector leaders from across the globe, tech innovators reimagining access, clinicians shaping care in crisis settings. We were taught by the very people driving policy, delivery, and research at the highest levels of influence—including an Executive in Residence whose mentorship challenged and transformed how I think about scale, legacy, and the long arc of change.
Choosing Harvard
Deciding to pursue executive education at a PWI, after attending both undergrad and MBA programs at HBCUs, was not easy. I wrestled with the idea of applying to Meharry for a public health degree—another HBCU, another home. But the cadence of this season required something different. I was relocating across the country—from Ohio to Arizona. My sons were entering pivotal years at ages 10 and 13. I needed learning that honored both my ambitions and my realities.
“Harvard didn’t change who I am—it expanded what I could reach.”
Rafat Fields
What’s Next
This next chapter of my leadership is about ascending power chains intentionally. Not just for personal access—but so I can open more doors for others. I’m committed to creating the kind of infrastructure that lets people rise whole, uncompromised, and resourced.
What “Rising
Whole” Looks Like
This is about more than visibility.
It’s about voice. Value. Velocity.
“The people doing the deepest work shouldn’t have to beg for a seat—or burn out building their own.”
Rafat F.
Let’s Build Something
That Lasts
If you’re a leader tired of shrinking, ready to scale, and hungry for a platform that honors your truth—we should talk.
