Dr. Maurice L. Harris on Creative Leadership and Telling Stories That Matter

In this inspiring episode of Yale College Voices, host Darice Corey sits down with Maurice Harris, Deputy Director of the Yale Schwarzman Center, musician, and creative leader whose career spans corporate communications, nonprofit work, higher education, and music. Their conversation moves easily across these worlds, offering listeners an inside look at how leadership, creativity, and ethics show up in real life at Yale and beyond.

Maurice reflects on growing up in an Air Force family and moving between England, Germany, and cities across the United States, experiences that shaped his comfort with change and his ability to build connection quickly. Darice explores how those early years led Maurice through corporate marketing, faith-based community work in Vermont, and ultimately to Yale, where his many paths began to make sense as part of a larger calling. Along the way, Maurice shares candid insights about restlessness, growth, and learning to trust that different chapters of a career can belong together.

Throughout the episode, Maurice connects art-making and leadership, drawing from his doctoral work focused on the leadership philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr. and his Yale seminar, Art Making and Leadership: An Integrative Approach. He talks about creating space for artists and audiences at the Schwarzman Center, listening deeply to feedback, and leading with humility. From his experience producing Grammy-ballot music to advocating for student voices through digital exhibitions, Maurice offers thoughtful reflections on staying true to your work while serving a broader community. The episode closes with a reminder to take risks when opportunity appears and to keep moving forward, even when the steps feel small.

Podcast Host: Darice Corey | Senior Director of Web and IT Planning | Yale College Dean’s Office Staff Engagement Committee Co-Chair | Pierson College Fellow

Podcast Guest: Dr. Maurice L. Harris | Deputy Director | Yale Schwarzman Center

Video/Podcast Producer: Ryan McEvoy | Yale Broadcast Studio