Chuck Harris
Senior Director, IT and Software Development, FIRST^®

Chuck Harris joined the FIRST Executive Leadership Team in 2021 as Senior Director IT and Software Development. After nearly a decade volunteering the FIRST community, Chuck joined the FIRST staff in 2012 as Senior Software Engineer, FIRST Robotics Competition, and was promoted to Principal Software Engineer in 2017 before transitioning to the IT department in 2019.

Chuck has been involved with the FIRST program since 2003, serving as a mentor with FIRST teams at Oakton High School in Vienna, Virginia, for 10+ years and advocating for the formation of a science and engineering booster club to sustain its programs. In 2005, he received the NASA/VCU Regional Woodie Flower’s finalist award. He also served on the D.C. Regional planning committee for four years and helped to mentor Washington, DC high school teams for several seasons.

In addition to his direct FIRST experience, Chuck brings 30+ years of diverse work experience having served as a development engineer, management information systems (MIS) manager, product manager, marketing manager, sales and marketing manager, general manager, and consultant. He has an MBA degree from Harvard University School of Business and a B.E.E. degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.