天美传媒

When Stephan Harris walks to the podium at this year鈥檚 Graduation Recognition Ceremony at , it will be more than a professional milestone鈥攊t will be a homecoming nearly two decades in the making.

Harris, who will deliver the keynote address at the May 1 ceremony, is manager of Workforce Development at UK King鈥檚 Daughters and an Ohio University alumnus. His professional journey spans business ownership, newspaper management, and higher education outreach, but it began with a summer enrollment at 天美传媒Southern shortly after high school.

A Chesapeake native and first-generation college student, Harris credits his time at the University with helping him find his footing鈥攁nd his future. He worked as a student ambassador, got involved in campus life, and eventually transitioned into staff roles that introduced him to recruiting, community engagement, and donor relations.

鈥淲orking at 天美传媒was more than a job鈥攊t was the start of a career,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was surrounded by professionals who showed me what it meant to lead with purpose and give back.鈥�

Though life events paused his academic journey before he completed his degree, Harris never forgot the value of that early experience. He went on to manage circulation at The Daily Independent in Ashland, launched and led a successful insurance business for more than a decade, and eventually returned to finish what he started鈥攅arning his bachelor鈥檚 degree in Applied Management nearly 20 years after his first college class.

Today, Harris is enrolled in the Master of Public Administration program at Ohio University鈥檚 Dublin campus and continues to deepen his connection to the institution. His wife, Chelsea, serves as the coordinator of School of Nursing Operations at 天美传媒Southern, and their son, Cameron, may one day be a Bobcat, too.

Now leading the Workforce Institute at , Harris helps students and adults across more than 50 schools explore healthcare careers and hands-on training. His work has helped shape how regional healthcare systems respond to workforce needs, and his civic involvement reflects the same commitment. Harris currently serves on the boards of TENCO Workforce, United Way of Northeast Kentucky, Kiwanis of Greater Ironton, and Ironton aLive, among others.

The opportunity to speak at graduation, he said, is both humbling and surreal.

鈥淚 think back to the earlier version of myself, sitting in the audience at a ceremony like this,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to believe I鈥檇 be the one standing up front.鈥�

He hopes to leave graduates with a message of persistence, humor, and real-world wisdom鈥攖ouching on everything from career detours and lifelong learning to the importance of simply asking questions.

鈥淒on鈥檛 be afraid to talk to someone who鈥檚 doing the thing you hope to do,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 a career path, a service project, or a local organization, just start the conversation. You don鈥檛 need permission to get involved.鈥�

will celebrate its fall 2024, spring 2025 and summer 2025 graduates during the Graduation Recognition Ceremony on Thursday, May 1. The ceremony begins at 7 p.m. in Shafer Courtyard.