Dr. Kenneth Lee Harris is a distinguished economist, international scholar, and historian of Black business. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, his heritage traces to the Mafa people of
Cameroon, Africa (maternal lineage) and the Indigenous Aboriginal Black Choctaw–Natchez
community of New Orleans (paternal lineage). His professional and scholarly work focuses
globally on the advancement of Black and Indigenous business enterprises.
A proud product of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Dr. Harris earned his
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Arts in Counseling/Clinical Psychology from
Clark Atlanta University. He later obtained an Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in Education
and Public Policy from Wayne State University. He holds a dual Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in
African American and African Studies and Economics from Michigan State University,
including a formal specialization in Business and Entrepreneurship from the Eli Broad College
of Business. He also completed postdoctoral studies at the University of Cape Town in South
Africa.
As the 16th National President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Business League
(NBL)—the oldest and largest trade association dedicated to Black businesses and professionals in the United States, founded by Dr. Booker T. Washington in 1900—Dr. Harris leads a national membership base of more than 120,000 individuals across all fifty states and the global diaspora. The League is supported by over 125 Fortune 500 corporate partners. Under his leadership, the organization operates from its national headquarters in Tuskegee, Alabama, with regional offices in Atlanta, Georgia; Detroit, Michigan; Los Angeles, California; Washington, D.C.; and Cape Town, South Africa, maintaining chapters across the United States and throughout the Pan-African diaspora.
Prior to his tenure at the National Business League, Dr. Harris founded and led several major
organizations, including the Michigan Black Chamber of Commerce, which he expanded to more than 36,000 members, and the International Detroit Black Expo, Inc., an annual convening that attracted more than 1,000 Black exhibitors and over 300,000 global consumers.
Dr. Harris’s career reflects an unwavering commitment to Black economic sovereignty and
institutional development. As Executive Vice President of the Michigan Minority Supplier
Development Council, he contributed to an economic output exceeding $36 billion annually. His civic leadership includes his election as a Detroit Charter Commissioner in 2009, receiving
49,000 votes in a citywide election. Demonstrating decisive leadership during the COVID-19
pandemic, he mobilized $20 million in capital to sustain Black-owned businesses. By 2023, his
leadership at the National Business League had facilitated more than $150 million in corporate
contracts for Black businesses with companies such as Stellantis, General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Cummins, DTE Energy, Lear Corporation, and Magna. In early 2024, he led a historic
international trade mission of 42 Black women-owned businesses to Panama, Costa Rica, and
Colombia, securing more than $40 million in business opportunities across South America and the Caribbean.
A respected advocate and thought leader, Dr. Harris advances a philosophy of economic
liberation rooted in ancient African principles. Central to his framework is the restoration
of MA’AT—the timeless values of Truth, Justice, Harmony, Balance, Order, Propriety, and
Reciprocity—as a guiding foundation for economic development. His unique combination of
rigorous scholarship, executive leadership, and cultural grounding positions him as a singular
voice in the global movement to advance Black business empowerment, economic sovereignty, and institutional transformation.