Seth Harris Keynote Speaker

  • Internationally recognised expert in labor, employment, diversity, workers, and the workplace
  • Obama Administration Cabinet Secretary and Deputy Secretary, 2009-14
  • Distinguished Scholar, Cornell University; author, teacher, attorney, and advisor

Seth Harris's Biography

Seth Harris is an internationally recognised expert in policies affecting workers and employers, as well as a leading voice for diversity and inclusion in the American economy, particularly for workers with disabilities. After four and one-half years as Deputy U.S. Secretary of Labor, Seth Harris joined President Obama’s Cabinet as the Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor in 2013.

Throughout his career, Secretary Harris has advised two presidents, several presidential campaigns, numerous Cabinet secretaries and members of Congress, and major corporations and unions about the law, policy, and politics of labor and employment in the United States and around the world.

Since 2014, Secretary Harris has been a Distinguished Scholar at Cornell University’s School of Industrial & Labor Relations where he teaches law and public policy. He is also Counsel at Dentons, the global law firm, and a member of the Board of Directors of the United Cerebral Palsy Association. He has been a frequent commentator on Al-Jazeera America television and quoted extensively in the Wall Street Journal, CNN.com, Politico, the Washington Post, Bloomberg Businessweek, and other publications.

Beyond his role in shaping and implementing the Obama Administration’s and Labor Department’s policy agendas, Secretary Harris sparked and led the Labor Department’s dramatic performance turnaround. In 2014, the Government Accountability Office found that the Labor Department, under Secretary Harris’s leadership, was the top Cabinet agency using evidence-based data-driven management to better serve the department’s constituents and the only Cabinet agency that significantly improved its performance during the Obama presidency. Secretary Harris has spoken and written about his performance management success and counsels senior government officials about how to improve their organizations’ performance.

Read More

Videos of Seth Harris

Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Seth Harris, IAFF (2013)
Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Seth Harris, IAFF (2013)
Toledo Law (2011)
Toledo Law (2011)
American Legion (2013)
American Legion (2013)

Check Seth Harris's speaking fees and availability

    Sending your message…

    Please wait, this can take a moment

    Message sent…

    Close

    Please provide your details and we’ll get in touch as soon as possible.

    We can only respond to requests for professional speaking engagements. We are unable to respond to requests for autographs, shoutouts and personalized messages.

    View our related Speakers

    Georgina Godwin Speaker
    Exclusive
    Georgina Godwin
    Accomplished Speaker on geopolitics and skilled moderator
    Tina Fordham Speaker
    Exclusive
    Tina Fordham
    Geopolitical Strategist for Business and Markets - Founder Fordham Global Foresight
    Iain Martin Speaker
    Exclusive
    Iain Martin
    Political Commentator & Author
    kathryn judge
    Kathryn Judge Speaker
    Exclusive
    Kathryn Judge
    Expert on banking & financial innovation
    Adrian Wooldridge Speaker
    Exclusive
    Adrian Wooldridge
    Global Business Columnist - Bloomberg
    Callum Williams Speaker
    Exclusive
    Callum Williams
    Senior Economics Writer at The Economist
    Thomas J. Wright Speaker
    Exclusive
    Thomas J. Wright
    Incisive analyst of geopolitics and foreign policy
    Karen Attiah Speaker
    Exclusive
    Karen Attiah
    Opinion Columnist, Global Opinions Editor - The Washington Post
    Tahima Sheikh-Ahmed on stage
    Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh Speaker
    Exclusive
    Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh
    Former SNP Politician
    Arlene Foster
    Arlene Foster Speaker
    Exclusive
    Arlene Foster
    First Minister of Northern Ireland on two occasions (between 2016-21) and Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) (2015-21)