SPECTACULAR MAGAZINE
2014 WOMEN OF THE YEAR
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Andrea L. Harris
Andrea L. Harris is Co-founder and former President of the NC Institute of Minority Economic
Development (NCIMED), a statewide non-profit dedicated to building the economic asset base of
historically underutilized businesses and limited resource communities across lines of race, gender, class
and region. The Institute engages a multi-disciplinary strategy to achieve its mission. Through research,
education, and business development the Institute embraces multi-disciplinary strategies that help build
economically vibrant and socially responsible communities. She transitioned into her current role of
Senior Fellow of the organization on October 1, 2014 after 28 years of outstanding service to NCIMED,
26 years at its helm.
At age 23, Andrea was the youngest executive director in the country of a community action agency.
At this early age she led a multi-county rural non-profit that provided Head Start services, workforce
development, crisis support, housing rehabilitation, and youth development services, and developed the
first rural transportation program for seniors in the state. Later she worked as the director and lobbyist
for an initiative that addressed the needs of minority elderly and elderly poor in eight southeastern
states. As the determined advocate and representative, Harris was able to secure legislative language
assuring provisions for services to low-income elderly as a priority, and increased the representation of
minority and poor older adults in White House Conferences by more than 150%.
After working for a few years in the NC Department of Commerce, Harris, Lew Myers, Julian Brown,
and a few others including Jim Polk, realized the need for an organization that could
engage in research and data, promote opportunities for minority and women owned
businesses, and make the business case for minority economic development.
With a small planning grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation the
Institute was created with help from early board members such as John
Hope Franklin, Prezell Robinson, Annie Brown Kennedy, and Joshua
Smith.
Under Harris’ leadership, in the past decade alone, NCIMED has provided
consulting and technical assistance to nearly 11,000 companies and
trained nearly 28,000 business people. Companies receiving NCIMED
assistance have been awarded more than $256 million in contracts,
completed nearly $197 million in financial transactions and created
more than 2,100 jobs.
Her achievements have garnered Harris numerous awards, including
the 2012 Abe Venable Award for Lifetime Achievement from the U.S.
Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency
(MBDA) and, more recently, the Triangle Business Journal’s
Leaders in Diversity Award and the Spectacular Magazine 2014
Woman of the Year – Lifetime Achievement Award.
Harris serves on the boards of the Research Triangle Regional
Partnership, the Johnnetta B. Cole Institute for Global Diversity
and Inclusion, the NC Rural Economic Development Center, the
National Advisory Board of the Institute for Emerging Issues
at NC State University, and the Vance County Economic
Development Commission. She was appointed by Governor
Beverly Perdue to the Budget Reform Accountability
Commission (BRAC) and the NC Economic Development
Board. She also serves on the Bennett College Board of
Trustees. Harris is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority.
Harris is a graduate of Bennett College and was the
recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters
in 2009.
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