Bernard F. Harris Jr.

For more than 30 years, Bernard F. Harris Jr., PhD has excelled across numerous roles and ranks within the U.S. Army, serving as a First Lieutenant during Operation Desert Storm and currently providing education and management as an Instructional Systems Specialist at the U.S. Army Center for Army Leadership. An expert in regards to military history as well, especially African-American military history, he has long been a prolific writer of books, articles, and dissertations pertaining to a wide spectrum of events and little-known stories and soldiers within the Army.

Determined and full of integrity from a young age, Dr. Harris obtained a Bachelor of Science in construction science and management from Tuskegee University in 1987 before joining the Army two years later. He served as an Armor Company Executive Officer up until 1992, after which he earned a Master of Science in logistics management from Florida Institute of Technology in 1995. He subsequently held the role of Logistical Plans and Maintenance Officer for the Army from 2002 to 2004, a concept integrator at the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center from 2004 to 2005, and then solidified himself as an educator at the U.S. Army Command General State College in Kansas, where he found success as an assistant professor and curriculum developer from 2005 to 2010. Remaining at the institution, he became a Curriculum Operations Support Specialist, providing quality control for curriculum and related products, faculty assistance, and program planning for various student programs for 11 years. Since 2021, he has brought similar expertise to the U.S. Army Center for Army Leadership—ensuring that the Army is facilitating its mandate that leadership lessons are developed properly and there is one solid standard across the military branch.

Throughout his dedicated military career, Dr. Harris has accrued several accolades, including the Legion of Merit in 2007, a Certificate of Appreciation from the U.S. Department of Labor in 2009, Bronze Pen Awards from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in 2011 and 2016, and a Certificate of Appreciation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2018. In addition, he has been recognized as a Demonstrated Master Logistician from the International Society of Logistics and Outstanding Graduate Student in Education from Kansas State University in 2022. He has also been an active member of such professional organizations as the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, Adult Education Research Conference, International Society of Logistics, Association for Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, and Association for Talent Development.

As an author, Dr. Harris has contributed numerous history- and Army-related articles to such publications as the Leavenworth Times Newspaper, ABC-CLIO, and the Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society—the latter of which he’s especially proud of. He co-authored the book “Savannah 1779: The British Turn South” in 2017 and has written several papers, including “Chipping Away the Bedrock of Intolerance: Fort Des Moines and Black Officer Training in 1917-1918,” “Jim Crow in Kansas: African American Life during the Era of Segregation,” “Flipped Classroom: Another Tool for Your Pedagogy Tool Box,” and “At the Reflection Point: Designing Army Assessments.” In regards to his written works, a major accomplishment has been his ability to explore and communicate topics that others never knew about.

Additionally, in 2022, Dr. Harris completed his own education by achieving a Doctor of Philosophy in adult learning and leadership from Kansas State University. Among his numerous credentials, he has also earned certificates of completion from the U.S. Army Force Management School, American Speed Reading Corporation, and American Society of Training and Development. He is also a Kirkpatrick Certified Strategic Evaluation Professional and golds a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certificate. Upon reflection of his outstanding career, Dr. Harris has been proud of himself for always pushing forward, giving back, and passing his knowledge on to others. In the next five years, he would like to complete and publish his dissertation, “The Education and Training of Seven African American U.S. Army Officers for World War I and its Aftermath.”