Bio: Marcus Harris
Marcus Harris is a native of Sandusky, Ohio. A City of 25,095 residents, nestled on the shores of Lake Erie. Marcus is a class of ‘97 graduate of Sandusky High School, and he attended the University of Michigan School of Engineering from ’97-‘01. After leaving college in Ann Arbor, Marcus spent time working in Detroit, MI and Atlanta, GA. After returning to Ohio to complete his bachelor’s degree at Bowling Green State University (c/o ’09), he spent 10 years honing his leadership, talent development and community engagement skills as a store manager for Starbucks Coffee Company in locations all across the NE Ohio market. Each stop along that journey he created region wide volunteer and community engagement opportunities for Starbucks employees to have a deeper involvement with the communities they did business in.
After leaving Starbucks, Marcus joined the youth workforce development nonprofit Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) in Cleveland, OH. His work there encompassed managing their volunteer base through creating meaningful, engaging volunteer opportunities that bridged the gap between large corporations in Cleveland and underserved minority communities, designing and facilitating Y.O.U.’s credential training program for 18–24-year-old young adults in Cuyahoga County, and managing the Ohio Means Jobs, Cleveland-Cuyahoga County, Young Adult Resource Center. A nexus-point for opportunity youth to attain job skills training and get a referral to one of the five providers in the County's social services ecosystem.
In September of 2021 Marcus made the decision to bring his talents and skills gained in the nonprofit and private sector back to his hometown by joining the City of Sandusky’s team as the Diversity and Economic Opportunity Manager. His duties include overseeing a citywide committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, developing a strategic plan for the City, and manage the implementation of the plan. Recruiting a diverse pool of applicants and developing programs and initiatives related to creating a pipeline of applicants for city positions (full-time, part-time, seasonal, internship) that are representative as to race, gender, sexual orientation. Working to create pathways to employment for local residents through regional workforce sector partnerships. Developing programs to ensure existing city employees are trained to succeed and be supportive employees of a representative workplace. Providing mentorship to employees and lastly, to formalize relationships with local educational institutions to identify potential pipeline of applicants for city positions and career opportunities.
After leaving Starbucks, Marcus joined the youth workforce development nonprofit Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) in Cleveland, OH. His work there encompassed managing their volunteer base through creating meaningful, engaging volunteer opportunities that bridged the gap between large corporations in Cleveland and underserved minority communities, designing and facilitating Y.O.U.’s credential training program for 18–24-year-old young adults in Cuyahoga County, and managing the Ohio Means Jobs, Cleveland-Cuyahoga County, Young Adult Resource Center. A nexus-point for opportunity youth to attain job skills training and get a referral to one of the five providers in the County's social services ecosystem.
In September of 2021 Marcus made the decision to bring his talents and skills gained in the nonprofit and private sector back to his hometown by joining the City of Sandusky’s team as the Diversity and Economic Opportunity Manager. His duties include overseeing a citywide committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, developing a strategic plan for the City, and manage the implementation of the plan. Recruiting a diverse pool of applicants and developing programs and initiatives related to creating a pipeline of applicants for city positions (full-time, part-time, seasonal, internship) that are representative as to race, gender, sexual orientation. Working to create pathways to employment for local residents through regional workforce sector partnerships. Developing programs to ensure existing city employees are trained to succeed and be supportive employees of a representative workplace. Providing mentorship to employees and lastly, to formalize relationships with local educational institutions to identify potential pipeline of applicants for city positions and career opportunities.
