Dr. Khalilah Harris Joins Maryland Center on Economic Policy as Non-Resident Senior Fellow

The Maryland Center on Economic Policy (MDCEP) is excited to announce that Khalilah M. Harris is joining the organization as a non-resident senior fellow. Dr. Harris is the managing director for K-12 Education Policy at American Progress and has an extensive background bringing an equity lens to policies that expand access to opportunity.

“Dr. Harris brings an incredible depth of experience that will help MDCEP to strengthen our work on education policy and other tools for expanding racial and ethnic equity in Maryland and advancing opportunity for all Marylanders,” MDCEP Executive Director Benjamin Orr said.

In addition to her background as an attorney and researcher, Dr. Harris brings grassroots experiences from founding a Baltimore City school focused on social justice to organizing nationally with the EduColor movement.

She served as the first deputy director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. Her policy foci included equitable access to STEM courses, supporting girls of color receiving access quality education, disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline and expanding access for Afro-Latinx new American students to the tools necessary to thrive in American schools. Also, while working under the Obama administration, Dr. Harris managed the Diversity and Inclusion in Government Council and implemented the first White House Summit on Diversity and Inclusion in Government in partnership with numerous federal agencies, national and global philanthropies, and tech companies.

Dr. Harris is a proud alumna of Morgan State University, obtained her law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law and her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research has focused on using critical race theory to examine the presence and influence of black leadership on education reform, applying an explicit racial equity lens to policy-making while centering directly impacted communities, expanding investments in public education, and progressive financing structures for public education.

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About Maryland Center on Economic Policy

The Maryland Center on Economic Policy advances innovative policy ideas to foster broad prosperity and help our state be the standard-bearer for responsible public policy. We engage in research, analysis, strategic communications, public education, and grassroots alliances promoting robust debate and greater public awareness of the policy choices Maryland residents face together.