My approach to leadership is grounded in humility, lived experience, and a deep belief in the power of community. I see leadership not as authority, but as stewardship, creating the conditions where people, relationships, and ideas can take root and grow. The most meaningful change rarely begins in institutions. It begins with individuals who have been overlooked and communities that refuse to give up on one another.
My perspective on how we support people who use drugs and those in or seeking recovery is shaped by this same lens. Too often, our systems treat addiction as an individual failure rather than a reflection of broader social, economic, and structural conditions. I believe our nation must move beyond fragmented responses and toward a more compassionate, coordinated continuum of care, one that centers dignity, values lived experience, and invests in community-driven solutions.
Real progress happens when we strengthen the ecosystem around people. That includes peers, families, community organizations, institutions, and public systems working together. This belief is reflected in my Healing For Us™ framework, which emphasizes that when we treat the soil by building trust, fostering collaboration, and expanding opportunity, we create the conditions where recovery, healing, and belonging can flourish.
Jarmichael R. Harris (He/Him) is a nationally recognized leader, consultant, educator, and speaker working at the intersection of substance use, recovery, higher education, and community wellbeing.
He is the Founder, CEO, and Principal Consultant of Engage Recovery, where he advises organizations and leaders on strengthening recovery ecosystems, building strategic partnerships, and developing approaches that create meaningful and sustainable change. His work spans higher education, behavioral health, community-based organizations, and national initiatives focused on substance use, recovery, and wellbeing.
Harris serves as Director of North Carolina Higher Education Consortium Programs for Addiction Professionals of North Carolina, where he leads statewide efforts to strengthen substance use prevention, collegiate recovery, and wellbeing across North Carolina’s colleges and universities. His work focuses on building institutional capacity, developing partnerships, and connecting campuses with the resources and expertise needed to better support students.
A Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist and two-time graduate of East Carolina University, Harris also serves as an Adjunct Professor in ECU’s Department of Addictions and Rehabilitation Studies. His contributions have earned recognition, including the Museum of African American Addictions Treatment and Recovery’s inaugural Rising Star Award, ECU’s 40 Under Forty Leadership Award, and the Association of Recovery in Higher Education’s Collegiate Recovery Staff Member of the Year Award.
Across his work, Harris challenges organizations to move beyond individual programs and consider a larger question: What must change within our systems and communities for people to truly have the opportunity to heal and thrive?
Raised in Salisbury, North Carolina, Harris enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time outdoors with his wife and two children.
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