Jordan Harris is on a mission to make everyone on campus rethink community engagement. She wants every member of the UNC Charlotte community to see a place for themselves in the University's commitment to outreach in the city.
She's driven in part because of her responsibility as the associate director of community relations and also because of her own experiences in life.
“I have been the recipient of others donating their time, energy and/or treasure. Without having those experiences and being able to acknowledge the impact, I don’t know that I would be as connected to my work,” said Harris, who credits her parents with inspiring her to give back.
Since Harris arrived at UNC Charlotte in 2012, she has been busy creating volunteer opportunities for employees through activities associated with Giving Green and National Volunteer Week. She also spearheaded UNC Charlotte’s Day of Service, allowing employees to participate in such on-campus activities as assembling food backpacks and toiletry kits to help others in the community.
“I think a university’s community engagement can sometimes be viewed as exclusive to academic activities facilitated by faculty and students through research and scholarship,” Harris said. “I believe the work we do in Community Relations stretches that idea. We strive to create a more inclusive space in which all members of the UNC Charlotte family feel empowered to contribute to the University’s engagement efforts.”
In March, Harris was honored as a recipient of the 2018 Employee of the Year Award for community and public service. But don’t think for a second she is resting on her laurels. She has big plans and big dreams for community engagement at the University.
She hopes that within five years, 100 percent of eligible employees will be using and recording the community service leave awarded every year by the state.
“I know that our employee population is very committed to and active within our community, so fingers crossed that it doesn’t even need the full five years to happen,” she added.
When she’s not planning community service events, she is often participating in them at the McCrorey YMCA or Nathaniel Alexander Elementary School, where she serves as a Heart Math tutor.
In her downtime, Harris can often be found biking or walking on the local greenways. She is also an avid book reader, and rumor has it that some “Murder, She Wrote” mysteries may be among her collection.
A final note: Don’t be offended if in encountering Harris out in the city, she doesn’t appear to recognize you. It is likely her identical twin, Mallory, with whom she resides in Charlotte.