When looking for leadership, for partnership, or for friendship, you look for someone who is steady—someone who stands firm because she knows where her roots are planted. Someone who, in uncertain times, will find a way forward by looking up and ahead. Someone who can see the light, can point it out, and who is willing to press toward it—and lead the way for others.

For us at Bennett College, that leader, partner and friend was Andrea Harris. When she closed her eyes for the last time on May 20, 2020, it was a breathtaking loss. We are devastated.

We are not alone. From across the state and around the world came expressions of heartbreak, admiration and praise. She is remembered as a force:

“dignified and fierce”
“a faithful friend and mentor”
“wonderful role model and advocate”
“a trailblazer who never stopped fighting for social, economic, and racial equity”
“a model of determination and resilience”
“Small in stature but a giant in everything she touched”

You knew from the arch of her brow and the wry slant of her smile that she was not to be underestimated. She had smart ideas and strong opinions—and she let them be known. But she listened, too. She encouraged others. That was the nature of her leadership, developed over a lifetime of service and decades of engagement in her beloved communities.  

Born in Sumter, South Carolina and raised in Henderson, North Carolina, her formative years were molded by the Civil Rights Movement. Her commitment to serve was honed and fired at Bennett College. It was as a student here in the late 1960s that she began to work to support community organizations that advocated for change and improvement in the lives of women, the aged, the poor, and people of color.

When she graduated in 1970, after a brief stint as a public school teacher, she was drawn back to her calling as a community advocate and she followed that path for the rest of her life. She was only 23 when she became Executive Director of Franklin-Vance-Warren Opportunity, Inc. As one of the youngest community agency directors in the nation, she began a career that lasted for more than five decades, leading organizations that focused on economic justice as a way to uplift individuals and communities across race, class, gender and condition.

When Andrea Harris “retired,” she didn’t retire. She became a Senior Fellow at Self-Help Credit Union. Governor Roy Cooper tapped her to serve on the state's Advisory Council for Historically Underutilized Businesses. She shared her talent and experience in her capacity as a board member for economic development organizations around the state. She remained an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

The thread that ran through her work was the desire to see people—all people—prosper. She lived her life working to improve the lives of the elderly, the poor and those who had need. The caliber and significance of her contributions to the state of North Carolina will be felt for generations.

The value of her contributions to Bennett College can never be measured. She has been our steady and certain champion through our challenges and she has contributed immeasurably to our triumphs. As a tireless member of Bennett College National Alumnae Association, she stepped in whenever she was asked and wherever she was needed. She also served two extended terms on the Board of Trustees, giving her time, her ideas and her resources. But she did more than occupy a seat at the table. She was a presence on campus, attending events, carrying on the traditions of her alma mater, and engaging with students, faculty and staff with both warmth and wisdom. Her Bennett sisters were always at the center of her heart.

She loved Bennett College not only for what it gave to her but for what she believed it would do for other young women. She gave this counsel to young Belles: “Believe in yourself and grab hold of this culture of self-affirmation that exists at Bennett…. It is that health and wholeness of self that assures you will find fulfillment deep inside your souls in whatever else you elect to do. You will be a better person for it.”

This advice was not just lip service; she lived by it. She was that better person.

“I decided to be a part of saving the world,” Harris once said of her youthful ambitions. “I thought I was invincible.”

We thought she was, too. To us, she always seemed too resilient to be defeated, too resolute to be overcome, too wise to be outwitted. She was our sister whose devotion never wavered. We relied on that. And now, while we are distraught by the loss of her presence, we affirm that her light will never go out as long as we stand in her legacy and as long as we remember her name.

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When looking for leadership, for partnership, or for friendship, you look for someone who is steady—someone who stands firm because she knows where her roots are planted. Someone who, in uncertain times, will find a way forward by looking up and ahead. Someone who can see the light, can point it out, and who is willing to press toward it—and lead the way for others.

For us at Bennett College, that leader, partner and friend was Andrea Harris. When she closed her eyes for the last time on May 20, 2020, it was a breathtaking loss. We are devastated.

We are not alone. From across the state and around the world came expressions of heartbreak, admiration and praise. She is remembered as a force:

“dignified and fierce”
“a faithful friend and mentor”
“wonderful role model and advocate”
“a trailblazer who never stopped fighting for social, economic, and racial equity”
“a model of determination and resilience”
“Small in stature but a giant in everything she touched”

You knew from the arch of her brow and the wry slant of her smile that she was not to be underestimated. She had smart ideas and strong opinions—and she let them be known. But she listened, too. She encouraged others. That was the nature of her leadership, developed over a lifetime of service and decades of engagement in her beloved communities.

Born in Sumter, South Carolina and raised in Henderson, North Carolina, her formative years were molded by the Civil Rights Movement. Her commitment to serve was honed and fired at Bennett College. It was as a student here in the late 1960s that she began to work to support community organizations that advocated for change and improvement in the lives of women, the aged, the poor, and people of color.

When she graduated in 1970, after a brief stint as a public school teacher, she was drawn back to her calling as a community advocate and she followed that path for the rest of her life. She was only 23 when she became Executive Director of Franklin-Vance-Warren Opportunity, Inc. As one of the youngest community agency directors in the nation, she began a career that lasted for more than five decades, leading organizations that focused on economic justice as a way to uplift individuals and communities across race, class, gender and condition.

In 1986, she co-founded the non-profit North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development to support minority and women-owned businesses. She led the organization, also home to the Women’s Business Center of NC, until 2014, contributing to public policy, engaging in education and training, and developing programs to help enhance the success of businesspeople across sectors. Her strategy was to work with financial, government and policy-making institutions—challenging them when necessary and partnering whenever possible—to create opportunities for minority- and women-owned firms. She was especially proud of the work that The Institute did to research and document the impact and value of HBCUs as major economic engines in their communities.

When Andrea Harris “retired,” she didn’t retire. She became a Senior Fellow at Self-Help Credit Union. Governor Roy Cooper tapped her to serve on the state's Advisory Council for Historically Underutilized Businesses. She shared her talent and experience in her capacity as a board member for economic development organizations around the state. She remained an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

The thread that ran through her work was the desire to see people—all people—prosper. She lived her life working to improve the lives of the elderly, the poor and those who had need. The caliber and significance of her contributions to the state of North Carolina will be felt for generations.

The value of her contributions to Bennett College can never be measured. She has been our steady and certain champion through our challenges and she has contributed immeasurably to our triumphs. As a tireless member of Bennett College National Alumnae Association, she stepped in whenever she was asked and wherever she was needed. She also served two extended terms on the Board of Trustees, giving her time, her ideas and her resources. But she did more than occupy a seat at the table. She was a presence on campus, attending events, carrying on the traditions of her alma mater and engaging with students, faculty and staff with both warmth and wisdom. Her Bennett sisters were always at the center of her heart.

She loved Bennett College not only for what it gave to her but for what she believed it would do for other young women. She gave this counsel to young Belles: “Believe in yourself and grab hold of this culture of self-affirmation that exists at Bennett…. It is that health and wholeness of self that assures you will find fulfillment deep inside your souls in whatever else you elect to do. You will be a better person for it.”

This advice was not just lip service; she lived by it. She was that better person.

“I decided to be a part of saving the world,” Harris once said of her youthful ambitions. “I thought I was invincible.”

We thought she was, too. To us, she always seemed too resilient to be defeated, too resolute to be overcome, too wise to be outwitted. She was our sister whose devotion never wavered. We relied on that. And now, while we are distraught by the loss of her presence, we affirm that her light will never go out as long as we stand in her legacy and as long as we remember her name.

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