The Hon. Paul C. Harris

Mr. Paul C. Harris earned his bachelor's degree in Political Science from Hampton University and his Juris Doctor degree from the George Washington University Law School.

Mr. Harris is a native of Charlottesville, Virginia.  He is the Executive Vice President, Chief Sustainability and Compliance Officer at Huntington Ingalls Industries (also known as HII).  With over 44,000 employees and headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII is a global engineering and defense technologies provider.  It is one of only two companies that build nuclear submarines for the United States Navy and is the only company to build nuclear aircraft carriers—the most powerful and survivable naval ships ever built.

In his current role at HII, Mr. Harris is responsible for working with leaders throughout the enterprise to advance HII’s sustainability strategy and objectives.  Additionally, he manages a team of experienced compliance and privacy counsel, which provide legal advice and guidance to senior management.  Mr. Harris reports directly to HII’s chief executive officer.

Prior to joining HII, Mr. Harris served as Senior Vice President at Hampton University, his alma mater, where he had responsibility for maximizing enterprise operational performance in key departments, including admissions, information technology, governmental affairs, and athletics.

Before returning to Hampton, Mr. Harris held several positions of increasing authority and responsibility in corporate law departments, including Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. Before joining Raytheon, Mr. Harris served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he led a team of 175 attorneys and oversaw all tort litigation on behalf of the United States.  He as later was elevated to Deputy Associate Attorney General.  Mr. Harris’s federal service was preceded by his public service at the state level, where he was twice elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 58th District in the historic seat once held by Thomas Jefferson.  In 1997, he became the first African American Republican elected to the Virginia legislature in over a century.

Mr. Harris began his legal career as a litigation associate with the McGuire Woods law firm.  Prior to law school, Mr. Harris served on active duty, as a paratrooper and Military Intelligence officer with the Army’s 10th Mountain Division.

Mr. Harris was appointed to the Board of Visitors by Governor Youngkin in 2023.