E. Wayne Harris, School Leaders Institute

E. Wayne Harris is an experienced educator with more than 50 years of successful tenure as a teacher, school-based administrator, school superintendent, executive coach, visiting professor, and educational consultant.

He now serves as a Center for Organizational and Technological Advancement (COTA) fellow and is one of the leaders of the School Leaders Institute.

Harris retired as superintendent of the Roanoke City Schools in 2004. Prior to Roanoke, he completed 25 years of teaching and leading in the Fairfax County Schools in Fairfax, Virginia. He created E. Wayne Harris LLC in 2004 and has served successfully as an executive search associate, planning facilitator, executive coach, strategic planner, and technical advisor.

Following his retirement as superintendent of Roanoke City Schools,  Harris was appointed a COTA fellow and visiting professor at Virginia Tech. He designed and implemented the School Leaders Institute. The School Leaders Institute’s focus is leadership development, training, and capacity building. 

Harris, one of 19 superintendents trained to participate in the VASS Executive Coaching service, has been actively engaged as an executive coach for superintendents who work in rural, suburban, and urban districts in Virginia (Falls Church, Hopewell, Lynchburg, Petersburg, Radford, and Roanoke cities, and Amelia, Nottoway, Prince Edward, Prince William, Lunenburg, Montgomery, Mecklenburg, Tazewell, and Greensville counties).

Harris has been involved as a facilitator of initiatives throughout North America, including keynote presentations, workshops, strategic planning, technical and administrative support, superintendent searches, and school board orientation.

Harris is an associate with Cambridge Strategic Services and has assisted 13 different superintendents with development of their system’s strategic plan. He is an associate with BWP & Associates and has facilitated 36 searches to identify candidates who were hired in Virginia school systems.

Harris is a graduate of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education’s Urban Superintendents Program (USP) and was the first graduate of the program to be appointed superintendent. He received his doctor of education degree and master's of education from Harvard, a master’s degree from Colorado State University, and a bachelor’s degree from Shepherd College.