Harris Nathan Miller

Harris Nathan Miller passed away from pancreatic cancer on September 15, 2022. He was just 71 years old, and a beloved husband, father, and grandfather.

Harris was born in Pittsburgh, PA, and remained a life-long Steelers fan. His brilliance and drive carried him from summers working in a steel mill and his father's car wash to the University of Pittsburgh (where he was Man of the Year in 1972) and then to Yale for graduate study in political science. A fellowship took him from the study of politics to its practice in Washington, DC. In the Carter Administration, Harris helped design the Senior Executive Service. On Capitol Hill, he worked on the Judiciary Committee for Congressman Ron Mazzoli, developing the 1986 Simpson-Mazzoli Act, which reshaped US immigration law.

He went on to lead two trade associations. Most notably, at the Information Technology Association of America, he helped define the relationship between the federal government and a booming Silicon Valley and played a lead role in coordinating the public-private response to the Y2K threat. His time at the Association for Public Sector Colleges and Universities reflected his lifelong passion for expanding educational opportunities, which he continued to advance in semi-retirement as a co-founder of the Campaign for Free College Tuition.

That campaign was only one among a seemingly endless list of volunteer leadership roles, particularly in education, the arts, veterans' affairs, and politics. Harris served, at various times, on the boards of the Virginia Opera, the National Philharmonic, the American Heart Association, the George Washington University Heart and Vascular Institute, the Virginia Lottery Board, and as Chair of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee (1986-1993). A 2006 run for the Democratic nomination for the US Senate in Virginia garnered an enthusiastic endorsement from The Washington Post. In all this work, Harris showed a genius for bringing people together, for working out policy details, and for making government serve people better.

He was passionate about travel, bridge, playing his saxophone, and listening to music. He was an avid collector of pens, watches, records, and hats. He loved golf almost as much as he loved his wife of 42 years, Deborah. He was a man of great brilliance, humor, and passion. He is lovingly survived by his wife, his two children, Derek and Alexis, his five perfect grandchildren, Hiram, Rina, Nadia, Roxanne, and Melody, and his sister, Lee. May his memory be a blessing.