Donna Harris (businesswoman)

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Donna Harris
Born 1968
Nationality United States of America
Alma mater Central Michigan University, University of Michigan
Occupation Co-founder, 1776

Donna Jean Harris (born 1968) is an American entrepreneur. She is the cofounder of business network incubator 1776 and a board member of the Global Entrepreneurship Network and National Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Contents

Early life and education

Born Donna Jean Gent in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, Harris immigrated to the United States in 1976, where she grew up in Lake Orion, Michigan. She obtained a bachelor's degree from Central Michigan University (1986-1990) and a MBA from The University of Michigan Ross School of Business (1997-1999). [1] . In 2016, Harris received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from American University. [2]

St. Catharines City in Ontario, Canada

St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, with 96.13 square kilometres of land and 133,113 residents in 2016. It lies in Southern Ontario, 51 kilometres (32 mi) south of Toronto across Lake Ontario, and is 19 kilometres (12 mi) inland from the international boundary with the United States along the Niagara River. It is the northern entrance of the Welland Canal. Residents of St. Catharines are known as St. Cathariners. St. Catharines carries the official nickname "The Garden City" due to its 1,000 acres (4 km2) of parks, gardens and trails.

Lake Orion, Michigan Village in Michigan, United States

Lake Orion is a village in the north side outskirts of Metro Detroit in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. The population was 2,973 at the 2010 census. "Lake Orion" is often used to describe both the village and the much larger Orion Township, of which the village is a part.

Central Michigan University public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States

Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan. Established in 1892, Central Michigan University is one of the largest universities in the state of Michigan and one of the nation's 100 largest public universities. It has more than 20,000 students on its Mount Pleasant campus and 7,000 students enrolled online at more than 60 locations worldwide.

Career

Early career

Harris began her career in Detroit as a Systems Engineer with Electronic Data Systems and held various roles at Oracle Corporation before shifting her focus to entrepreneurship.

She was Vice Chair of Interpoint Group, a , government relations and public affairs firm . She was also previously Founder and CEO of Kinderstreet, which sold SaaS solutions in the education, sports, and recreation markets. She was also Vice President of Strategic Planning, Marketing, and Product Management for Centromine, a provider of web-based clinical and fiscal systems in the health and human services industry. [3] She was Managing Director of the Startup America Partnership, where she organized the Startup Regions Initiative, focused on accelerating entrepreneurial ecosystems in the United States and connecting them into a national startup ecosystem.

In 2013, Harris co-founded the incubator 1776 with Evan Burfield. [4] The organization provides funding, classes, mentors and customer connections. [5] [6] Harris stepped down as co-CEO of 1776 in January 2017, [7] though she stated that she would stay on as a board member . [8] [9]

Evan Burfield American businessman

Evan Burfield is an American entrepreneur. According to Christopher M. Schroeder, Burfield is a leading authority on "regulatory hacking," a framework for how startups can work with government and build businesses in complex marketplaces. Currently, Burfield is the CEO of Union and is the cofounder of Washington, D.C. startup incubator 1776.

Awards and recognition

Harris has appeared in media outlets including Forbes, [10] Bloomberg News, [11] , CNNMoney, [12] and The Chicago Tribune.

<i>Forbes</i> American business magazine based in New York City

Forbes is an American business magazine. Published bi-weekly, it features original articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. Forbes also reports on related subjects such as technology, communications, science, politics, and law. Its headquarters is located in Jersey City, New Jersey. Primary competitors in the national business magazine category include Fortune and Bloomberg Businessweek. The magazine is well known for its lists and rankings, including of the richest Americans, of the world's top companies, and The World's Billionaires. The motto of Forbes magazine is "The Capitalist Tool". Its chair and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes, and its CEO is Mike Federle. It was sold to a Hong Kong-based investment group, Integrated Whale Media Investments.

Bloomberg News is an international news agency headquartered in New York, United States and a division of Bloomberg L.P. Content produced by Bloomberg News is disseminated through Bloomberg Terminals, Bloomberg Television, Bloomberg Radio, Bloomberg Businessweek, Bloomberg Markets, Bloomberg.com and Bloomberg's mobile platforms. Since 2015, John Micklethwait has served as editor-in-chief.

In 2003, she was named one of the "40 Under 40" by Crain's Detroit Business. [13] In 2014, she was named a "newsmaker to watch" by Washington Business Journal . [14] In 2016, the Washington Business Journal listed Harris as one of the Most Entrepreneurial and Innovative Minds in Washington, DC.

In 2017, she and Burfield were named "Innovator of the Year" by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce. [15]

References

  1. ↑ "Executive Profile Donna Harris" Bloomberg Business Week, Retrieved on 20 February 2014
  2. ↑ https://www.american.edu/media/news/20160419-spring-commencement-speakers.cfm
  3. ↑ "Donna Harris" Huffington Post, Retrieved on 19 February 2014
  4. ↑ "Start-Up Hub 1776 Launches with 200k City Grant" The Washington Post, Retrieved on 6 February 2013
  5. ↑ "Breaking In: How Tech Entrepreneurs are Changing Government" Government Technology, Retrieved on 1 February 2018
  6. ↑ "1776 Co-founders Donna Harris and Evan Burfield" Archived October 31, 2013, at the Wayback Machine . i3 Magazine, Retrieved on 10 July 2013
  7. ↑ "1776 co-founder Donna Harris steps down" The Washington Post, Retrieved on 23 January 2018
  8. ↑ "Hope for the Future: Why I’m Stepping Down From 1776" Medium, Retrieved on 23 January 2018
  9. ↑ "Donna Harris, co-founder, Washington, D.C.'s 1776" The Chicago Tribune, Retrieved on 31 December 2013
  10. ↑ "Millennials Seek 21st Century Careers with 20th Century Skills" Forbes, Retrieved on 22 October 2013
  11. ↑ "DC is a Natural Hub for Startups: 1776's Harris" Bloomberg News, Retrieved on 8 November 2013
  12. ↑ "15 Questions with Donna Harris" CNNMoney, Retrieved on 1 February 2018
  13. ↑ "Former Kinderstreet CEO Donna Harris Puts Focus on Startup Investments" Crain's Detroit Business, Retrieved on 28 August 2013
  14. ↑ "10 Other Newsmakers to Watch in 2014" Washington Business Journal, Retrieved on 3 January 2014
  15. ↑ http://www.insidenova.com/headlines/greater-washington-innovation-awards-winners-and-finalists-announced/article_bc3c4766-2c21-11e7-ac37-3b5acc110e87.html
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