Board of Directors Highlight - Kevin Harris

Kevin Harris learned to row at TC Williams High School's Rowing Team in Alexandria, Va. and has been a member of USRowing ever since. He also coxed at both the US Naval Academy and George Washington University, where he graduated in 1992 with a BA in history.

Harris started as an assistant rowing coach at TC Williams in 1991 and moved into being the girls head coach at Yorktown High School. His crews won multiple medals at events like the Virginia State Championships, Stotesbury Cup, and SRA Nationals. He also coached masters teams at the Capitol Rowing Club and DC Strokes. He acted as head coach of women's programs at Potomac Boat Club and, in 1995, his Junior Women's 8+ won the Royal Canadian Henley. The Potomac Boat Club Harris/Fisher Trophy was purchased by the Potomac parents to commemorate that win and is awarded annually by the Canadian Henley to the winners of the U19 Women's 8+ event.

Harris additionally worked as a teacher of history at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. from 1992-1995. While there, he helped found the boys crew as the first teacher advisor for the team. From 1993-1996 he served on the USRowing Junior Women's National Team Committee.

From 1995-1997, Harris worked as assistant coach at Mount Holyoke College under Coach Jeanne Friedman while also attending the University of Massachusetts, Amherst to earn a master's degree. The team won two Seven Sister's Titles, New England Championships medals, and a NEW 8 Conference Championship. He graduated from UMass in 1997 with an M.Ed. and took over as head coach at Mills College in Oakland, Cali. While at Mills, he became the first African-American head coach to take a team to the NCAA Rowing Championships (1998). In 1998 and 1999, he ran a Women's Junior National Team development camp for the West Region, where he coached athletes like Kate Bertko and Brett Sickler, who went on to row for US National Teams.

From 1999-2001, Harris worked as assistant coach to Jenny Hale at Kansas State in Manhattan, KS. In 2002, he was hired as the 5th head coach of The University of Tulsa, where he remains to this day. While at Tulsa, he has had multiple rowers compete on the U23 and Senior National Teams, including eight-time national teamer Michelle Sechser, who is vying for a spot on the Tokyo 2020 team.

Harris has been married to his wonderful wife, Dr. Jennifer Harris, since 2002 and they have two daughters, Alexandra (13) and Victoria (16).