Marion H. Harris, DPA

Dr. Marion Harris currently serves as chair of Management, Marketing and Public Administration in the School of Business at Bowie State University.  She has been employed with the University since 1991 and currently holds the faculty position of full professor of public administration and management. She also serves as the curriculum developer of the Master of Public Administration degree program as well as the proposed courses for an undergraduate program in the public administration discipline.

To complement her higher education experience, Dr. Harris completed a highly successful career as a senior management official with the United States government.  During her tenure as director, Evaluation Division, Office of Quality Assurance (USHUD), Dr. Harris reported to and advised presidential appointees.  She also served 14 years as senior field advisor and point person for USHUD presidential appointees (Deputy Under Secretary for Field Coordination and Assistant Secretary for Housing/Federal Housing Commissioner).  Prior to her service with USHUD, Dr. Harris served seven years as a managing auditor for the U.S. Government Accounting Office; two years as deputy director of Housing, HUD Detroit Office; and four years as a public housing authority director in a county of 600,000 and a city of 550,000 inhabitants. At the local level of government, Dr. Harris was executive director of a county community development department in an urban county of 650,000, and director of Urban Renewal Planning in a city of 500,000.

Dr. Harris has a repertoire of core specialties and skills.  They include organization management; program and performance evaluations; urban and regional site planning and development; project team management; strategic planning for continuous quality improvement programs; evaluating administrative management systems, organization research; human resources management; and public policy analysis.  She recently published a book entitled: "The Public Policy Debate over Energy and Climate Control." 

Dr. Harris is the recipient of variety of awards and she has held a variety of appointments that include serving as a commissioner, task force member, board member, and project manager.  She was a commissioner with the Howard County Charter Commission, 2002-2003;  Governor's Transition Team, 1998; Governor's Workforce Investment Board appointed member, 1998-2002; chair, Governor's Policy Group on Workforce Development and BSU project director for the DOT Summer Transportation Intern Program for Students from Diverse Groups, 1992-1993.  Dr. Harris' awards include a Certificate of Achievement (Secretary of HUD); an Outstanding Performance Award (HUD - 1985, 1987);  a Carnegie-Melon Mid-career Fellow award,  Ford Foundation Fellow(University of Pittsburgh).  She is noted in Who's Who Among Black Americans (1976-present); Who's Who Among Women in America (1986-present); Who's Who Among Women in the East (1991-present); and Who's Who in America (1996).

Dr. Harris holds Masters in Urban Affairs, School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh, Master of Management Systems, School of Policy Planning and Development, University of Southern California (USC) and  the Doctor of Public Administration degree with a concentration in Organization Research and Development, School of Policy Planning and Development, University of Southern California.