Alfred L. Harris, Sr.

 

 

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Alfred L. Harris, Sr., is a native of Charleston, MO. He graduated from Lincoln University (MO) in 1969, and concurrently earned a commission into the US Army.  Following a tour of duty in Vietnam, he earned a graduate degree from Central Michigan University, while assigned as a DoD special agent in Detroit, MI.  In later years, he commanded unique intelligence organizations including an Allied Command, before becoming a military staff college instructor from which he retired in 1989.

 

Settling into civilian life in Memphis, TN, he became a department head in Shelby County (TN) Government before becoming a regional director of training and associate development in the casino industry nearby.  Finally, Alfred become the Deputy Director of the US Navy Equal Opportunity Office and concurrently, Program Manager of the Equal Opportunity Advisor Program serving uniformed Navy personnel worldwide.  It was while serving in this capacity that he was appointed to a Congressional Commission (the US Military Leadership Diversity Commission) under the Obama Administration.

 

Answering a spiritual call to service, Alfred leads a life committed to volunteerism.  He has served as National President of the LU Alumni Association and currently serves the Foundation.  He is a long-time volunteer in Memphis-area schools.  He’s served on numerous boards and commissions including the Tennessee Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection, the Memphis Diversity Institute and the Shelby County Federal Credit Union where he served a term as Chairman of the Board.  Currently, he is Chairman of the Board of Epsilon, Inc., the 501(c)(3) organization that owns and operates the Omega Complex, a fraternity house in Memphis.  He is an acknowledged elder in his faith group and an instructor of beginning guitar enthusiasts at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Memphis and at the US Navy Base in Millington, TN.

 

Alfred is a certified equal opportunity and diversity specialist, certified mediator and Certified Master Consultant (CMC).  Further, he is the patriarch of the 2019 Lincoln University Family of the Year and the principal donor to the Alfred L. Harris, Sr. Endowed Scholarship Fund.