Donna Harris (businesswoman)

Donna Jean Harris (born 1968) is an American entrepreneur. She is the cofounder of business network incubator 1776 and a board member of the Global Entrepreneurship Network and National Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Early life and education
Born Donna Jean Gent in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, Harris immigrated to the United States in 1976, where she grew up in Lake Orion, Michigan. She obtained a bachelor's degree from Central Michigan University (1986-1990) and a MBA from The University of Michigan Ross School of Business (1997-1999).. In 2016, Harris received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from American University.
Career
Early career
Harris began her career in Detroit as a Systems Engineer with Electronic Data Systems and held various roles at Oracle Corporation before shifting her focus to entrepreneurship.
She was Vice Chair of Interpoint Group, a , government relations and public affairs firm . She was also previously Founder and CEO of Kinderstreet, which sold SaaS solutions in the education, sports, and recreation markets. She was also Vice President of Strategic Planning, Marketing, and Product Management for Centromine, a provider of web-based clinical and fiscal systems in the health and human services industry. She was Managing Director of the Startup America Partnership, where she organized the Startup Regions Initiative, focused on accelerating entrepreneurial ecosystems in the United States and connecting them into a national startup ecosystem.
In 2013, Harris co-founded the incubator 1776 with Evan Burfield. The organization provides funding, classes, mentors and customer connections. Harris stepped down as co-CEO of 1776 in January 2017, though she stated that she would stay on as a board member .
Awards and recognition
Harris has appeared in media outlets including Forbes, Bloomberg News,, CNNMoney, and The Chicago Tribune.
In 2003, she was named one of the "40 Under 40" by Crain's Detroit Business. In 2014, she was named a "newsmaker to watch" by Washington Business Journal. In 2016, the Washington Business Journal listed Harris as one of the Most Entrepreneurial and Innovative Minds in Washington, DC.
In 2017, she and Burfield were named "Innovator of the Year" by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

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