Dr. Danny Harris is a 20+ year information technology and financial management veteran of the US Department of Education.

Dr. Harris became the Chief Information Officer (CIO), Department of Education on October 1, 2008. As the CIO, he acquires and maintains all of the Department’s mission critical information system resources. Specific responsibilities include: Managing the Department's Information Assurance program, developing policy for the protection and control of information; Defining and managing capital planning and investment management processes to ensure their successful implementation and integration with the Department budget, acquisition and planning processes; Promoting the effective and efficient design and operation of major Departmental information resource management processes; Deploying and maintaining all enterprise-wide information technology; Managing the agency’s participation and implementation of Federal CIO Council Initiatives and coordinating Council activities throughout the Department; and Coordinating all eGovernment initiatives and providing status reports to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In addition to his responsibilities as CIO, Dr. Harris serves as the Acting Deputy Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the Department of Education.

Prior to becoming the CIO, Dr. Harris served as the Deputy CFO. He oversaw financial management, internal control and audit resolution, financial systems, contracts and procurement, and grants policy issues. Dr. Harris managed the development and maintenance of an integrated financial management system and the business functions supported by this platform. He supported staff responsible for ensuring Department funds are spent appropriately, and staff responsible for the Department's daily financial operations. (December 2004 – September 2008)

Prior to becoming Deputy CFO, Dr. Harris served as Director, Financial Systems Operations in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, US Department of Education since September 1998. He managed the Department's multi-million dollar integrated Federal Financial Management Platform called Education’s Central Automated Processing Systems (EDCAPS). The EDCAPS system incorporates five of the Department’s most mission critical applications (Contracts and Purchasing, Grant Award and Payments, Accounting/General Ledger, Travel Manager, and Promissory Note business functions). In addition, Dr. Harris served as chair of the government-wide Financial Management Line of Business (FMLoB), Financial Systems Integration Office (FSIO) Transformation Team. (February 2005 – October 2006)

Dr. Harris began his career at the US Department of Education as a computer analyst. He since moved on to the Secretary's Office working as a Policy Analyst, coordinating IT and other activities for the Secretary and Deputy Secretary surrounding Education policy issues.

Dr. Harris has served on the Board of Advisors for the Information Technology (IT) Department at the College of Southern Maryland from 1994 to present. He is also currently an adjunct professor at Howard University, teaching courses in Computer Technology. Prior to his tenure at Howard University, he taught undergraduate and graduate courses at George Mason University, in disciplines such as Organizational Communications Management, Research Methodology and Design.

A native of North Carolina, Dr. Harris holds a B.A. in Communications from North Carolina A&T State University, and an M.A. and PhD. in Organizational Management from Howard University.