Professor Mark T. Harris, J.D., an active licensed member of the State Bar of California, is the
Director of Pre-Law Studies at the University of California, Merced and the Northern California
and Central Valley Managing Attorney for the national law firm, Ben Crump Law. Mr. Harris is
headquartered in Sacramento, California where he has practiced law for almost forty years. .
Further, Professor Harris is one of the founders of the Central Valley Leaders, a statewide youth
leadership development academy.

Professor Harris attended the University of Southern California, where he later became a
member of the adjunct faculty, prior to attending Loyola Marymount University, from which he
received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Today, Professor Harris has become a
major donor of Loyola Marymount and sits on the university’s African-American Alumni Board of
Trustees. Professor Harris attended and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley’s
School of Law in Berkeley California and while a student there served on the City of Berkeley’s
Police Review Commission. It was during this period in Professor Harris’ life that he witnessed
the complexities of the relationship between law enforcement organizations and those whom
they were supposed to “protect and serve.”

Professor Harris has served in many local, state and federal governmental positions. He served
as a Senior Executive for External Affairs with the State Bar of California; as Undersecretary for
California’s Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, as a member of the California Fair
Employment and Housing Council and as Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of
Commerce under the late Secretary Ronald H. Brown. Professor Harris continues to serve as
an advisor to several current and former “Big City” mayors including The Honorable Willie L.
Brown, Jr. (San Francisco); The Honorable Elihu M. Harris (Oakland); The Honorable Kevin
Johnson (Sacramento); The Honorable W.W. Herenton (Memphis) and the Honorable William
(“Bill”) Campbell (Atlanta).

Professor Harris has lectured on law and finance at venues throughout the world including Latin
America and Asia. He has traveled to fifty-nine countries throughout the world. He is married to
Dr. Marianna Y. Harris, Ed.D., and proud parent of Eric M. Harris, an alumnus of the University
of Oregon School of Law . and Martin T. Harris, University of San Francisco J.D. candidate (May
2019).