Grant Harris

Grant Harris is CEO of Connect Frontier and advises companies, non-profits and universities on strategy, policy, and mitigating risk with respect to doing business in emerging and frontier markets. From 2011 to 2015, Harris served as the principal advisor to President Barack Obama on sub-Saharan Africa, serving as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the White House. In this role, Harris conceived of the historic U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, which generated $37 billion in new commitments to support trade, investment, and development across Africa. Harris also initiated President Obama’s Doing Business in Africa Campaign; launched the President’s Young African Leaders Initiative; and was the primary architect of the U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to this position, Harris was Deputy Chief of Staff and Counselor to Susan Rice, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Previously, Harris was an associate at the law firm of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP. Prior to that, Harris served in the African Affairs Directorate at the White House under President Bill Clinton and, before that, in the U.S. Mission to the United Nations under Ambassador Richard Holbrooke. Harris holds a law degree from Yale Law School, a Master’s in Public Affairs from Princeton University, and a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Current Research

Emerging markets, international business, foreign policy, international relations, strategy, political risk, public policy, commercial diplomacy, social impact

Education

Harris holds a law degree from Yale Law School, a Master’s in Public Affairs, with Distinction, from Princeton University, and a B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of California, Berkeley.