Robert D. Harris

Dr. Robert Harris is an expert conflict management professional with over 25 years’ experience designing and implementing organizational change and employee engagement initiatives; conducting interpersonal, group, and organizational interventions to resolve sensitive and complex workplace conflicts; and developing and teaching conflict management and dispute resolution courses.

He currently serves as the Internal Ombudsman in the Office of the Chairman at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). In this role, he works to improve individual and organizational issues by helping resolve individual employee concerns; working with management to resolve issues within their areas, and raising systemic issues with the Chairman and senior leadership. Dr. Harris also manages the FDIC’s Workplace Excellence Program and Labor Management Forum. Both initiatives seek to further improve the FDIC’s workplace environment.

Prior to joining the FDIC, Dr. Harris served as the Conflict Management Services Manager at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). He directed an agency-wide conflict management program to enhance organizational effectiveness, improve conflict management and cooperative problem solving competence, reduce employee distractions, and increase employee engagement at all levels. He also managed or developed numerous employee advisory councils including TSA’s National Advisory Council (NAC) and NAC Network.

Before TSA, Dr. Harris specialized in developing and implementing conflict resolution programs for educators and youth. He worked for nearly a decade developing and coordinating an integrated conflict resolution system in Fairfax County Public Schools (Fairfax County, Virginia). His international experience includes working with educators and youth from Bosnia, Central Asia, Cyprus, Georgia/Abkhazia, Indonesia, the Middle East, Northern Ireland, and South Korea. His curriculum materials have been translated into Russian, Indonesian, Arabic, and Korean.

Dr. Harris earned his doctorate from George Mason University's School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. His research focused on peer mediator modeling and disputant learning.