About the CEO and
Founder Shane Harris

Shane Harris is a nationally recognized civil rights leader, ordained minister, entrepreneur, and communications strategist committed to advancing justice, equity, and opportunity for underserved communities. A respected advocate and public affairs leader, Harris has spent more than a decade at the forefront of local, state, and national movements focused on social justice, foster youth advocacy, economic equity, and community empowerment.

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Throughout his career, Harris has led and worked alongside numerous influential nonprofit organizations and advocacy coalitions across California and the United States. He is the founder of the Office of the San Diego Public Advocate, a non-governmental public advocacy organization dedicated to advancing equity-centered public policy initiatives, government accountability, and civic engagement throughout the region. He is also the owner and CEO of S Harris Communications, a strategic public affairs and communications firm that partners with nonprofits, corporations, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and public leaders to craft impactful messaging, strengthen community engagement, and shape narratives that drive meaningful change.

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Born and raised in San Diego, California, Harris’s life is a powerful testament to resilience, redemption, and purpose. After losing both of his parents at a young age, he spent 13 years navigating the foster care system—an experience that exposed him to significant hardship while instilling in him an unwavering commitment to advocacy and service. Rather than allowing adversity to define him, Harris transformed his lived experiences into a lifelong mission to fight for those too often unheard and overlooked.

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Over the years, Harris has successfully represented and advocated on behalf of organizations and initiatives that have had significant impact at both the state and national levels. His communications and advocacy work has included supporting San Pasqual Academy, the nationally recognized residential education campus for foster youth, as well as working closely with California Black Media, the statewide advocacy organization representing Black-owned newspapers and media outlets throughout California. Through strategic advocacy and public affairs efforts, Harris has played a role in helping ensure California state budgets continued supporting California Black Media and its mission to elevate the voices and stories of Black communities across the state.

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Harris has also helped lead advocacy efforts in the nation’s capital surrounding foster care reform and economic justice initiatives, including policy efforts focused on guaranteed income programs for foster youth and transition-age young adults. His work has consistently centered on expanding opportunities, amplifying underrepresented voices, and advancing policies that create long-term systemic change for vulnerable communities.

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His leadership and advocacy have earned widespread recognition across local, state, and national platforms. In 2016, Our City San Diego named him among the “20 Most Powerful People in San Diego.” That same year, he received the Spirit of Stonewall Award from San Diego Pride for his groundbreaking work bridging the Black and LGBTQ communities. In 2017, The Root recognized him among the 100 Most Influential African Americans in the United States. In 2022, the San Diego Business Journal honored him as one of its “40 Under 40” top business and community leaders, and in 2025, he was selected to the prestigious SD500 list recognizing the region’s most influential leaders and changemakers.

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In addition to his advocacy and communications work, Harris serves as Director of Communications for Gomez Trial Attorneys, where he works alongside nationally recognized civil rights attorney John Gomez on high-profile advocacy campaigns, media relations, and justice-centered communications initiatives.

Known for bringing an unapologetic equity-centered perspective into every space he enters, Harris has built a reputation as a trusted strategist, bridge-builder, and influential public voice capable of mobilizing communities and shaping conversations that matter. Whether through public advocacy, communications, ministry, or civic leadership, Shane Harris remains committed to one core mission: building a more just, informed, and inclusive society for future generations.