Honorable Dot Harris Announced As 355th Commencement Speaker
Continuing it's tradition of featuring inspirational speakers who have led by example
and who will challenge students to reach their full potential, Chicago State University
announced that The Honorable LaDoris “Dot” Harris will serve as the Keynote Speaker
for the 355th Commencement Ceremony to be held on December 18, 2014 at 11:00am in the Jones Convocation Center.
Harris currently serves as the Director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity
in the U.S. Department of Energy. Nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed
by the U.S. Senate in March 2012, Director Harris serves in an Assistant Secretary
level position at the Department of Energy. She leads the agency’s offices of Minority
Economic Impact, Minority Education and Community Development, Minority Business and
Economic Development, Diversity and Inclusion, and Civil Rights.
Director Harris also leads the Department’s Minorities in Energy Initiative, serves
on the White House Council on Women and Girls, oversees a corporate funding strategy
for minority institutions, works closely to develop minority business contracting
opportunities at the Department, and protects the civil rights of employees and recipients
of multi-billion dollar funding from DOE. Additionally, Director Harris and her staff
have participated in over 250 events across the country focused on promoting public
participation in energy economic development, science, technology, engineering and
math (STEM) education, and research and development programs. Through publications
and community outreach, she has reached over 50 million people on the topic of diversity,
economic development, and engagement in the STEM workforce.
Prior to her appointment, Director Harris was co-founder, President and CEO of Jabo
Industries, LLC, a successful minority-woman owned management consulting firm concentrated
primarily in the energy, information technology and healthcare industries. Director
Harris’ leadership in Corporate America ranged from engineer to corporate officer.
She served as an executive at General Electric Company (GE) and held a number of leadership
positions in GE's Energy and Industrial Systems businesses. Before joining GE, Director
Harris was the first African American female officer, Vice President of Operations
& Production at ABB, Inc., the world’s largest electrical engineering firm.