EXPERIENCE THAT INFORMS THE WORK
A Record of Leadership, Systems, and Community Impact.
Across public-purpose leadership, community and economic development, education, financial services, military service, nonprofit governance, and civic engagement, Michael O. Harris has spent much of his career helping organizations bring structure to complicated work.
The environments have changed. The recurring challenge has not: understand what is preventing progress, organize people and resources around the objective, strengthen the systems supporting the work, and develop a practical pathway forward.
Harris Beaumont Group is informed by more than one industry, one role, or one type of organization.
The experience below provides context for the HBG approach explored throughout this page.
01
MMLBA
01 · PUBLIC-PURPOSE REDEVELOPMENT
Led a public-purpose redevelopment organization through institutional growth, expanded funding capacity, stronger operating systems, three consecutive clean financial audits, new financing pathways, policy work, complex redevelopment challenges, and cross-sector partnerships.
02
GWERC
02 · COMMUNITY + ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Helped refresh and strengthen an emerging community-development organization by clarifying priorities, building partnerships, expanding resources, and creating stronger pathways for business, workforce, corridor, education, and neighborhood initiatives.
03
Junior Achievement
03 · EDUCATION + WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Built and managed relationships across business, education, government, banking, and community partners to support youth financial literacy, entrepreneurship, workforce readiness, and student-serving programs.
04
First Horizon
04 · OPERATIONS + FINANCIAL SERVICES
Worked in complex financial-services environments involving operations, records, process coordination, business continuity, and large-scale organizational systems where precision, consistency, and execution mattered.
05
U.S. Navy
05 · DISCIPLINE + OPERATIONAL READINESS
Developed an early foundation in discipline, logistics, accountability, operational readiness, teamwork, and execution through military service and deployment experience.
06
Community Leadership
06 · GOVERNANCE + CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Board service, mentoring, school partnerships, civic leadership, nonprofit governance, youth development, and community initiatives reinforced the importance of aligning mission, people, structure, partnerships, and implementation.
THE THROUGH-LINE
Different organizations. Different missions. Different constraints. The work repeatedly comes back to the same discipline: clarify the problem, build the structure, align the people, and move the work forward.
04
Measure
Built attendance, survey, and pre/post evaluation concepts into the program framework.
03
Engage
Connected students with mentors, speakers, activities, and conversations designed to expand possibility.
Defined the program structure, focus areas, session rhythm, activities, and mentoring model.
02
Facilitate
01
Design
Created an environment for mentor-led discussion, participation, reflection, and practical learning.
THE HBG METHOD
The Harris Beaumont Group Pathway
The HBG Pathway is our seven-stage approach to helping organizations move from a challenge, idea, or opportunity toward a clearer and more actionable path forward.
The process is intentionally flexible. Every engagement is different, but the discipline is consistent: understand the situation, assess what is working and what is not, define the direction, build the right tools, refine the work, implement, and continue improving.
Program facilitation in practice at Power Center Academy High School.
Program facilitation in practice at Havenview Middle STEAM Optional School.
WHAT THE WORK DEMONSTRATES
Program Design → Facilitation → Engagement → Repeatable Structure
A strong workshop is not simply a presentation. It is a designed experience that connects the objective, the participants, the content, and the next step.
FACILITATION + PROGRAM DESIGN IN PRACTICE
From an Idea to a Room Full of Engagement.
Good facilitation begins before anyone enters the room.
One example of Michael O. Harris’s community facilitation work is “What They See Is What They’ll Be,” a youth mentoring program developed for 100 Black Men of Memphis at Havenview Middle STEAM Optional School.
The framework was designed to do more than place mentors and students in the same space. It created a repeatable structure for meaningful conversation, leadership development, character building, interpersonal skills, entrepreneurship, and exposure to positive role models.
The work included program design, session structure, small-group discussions, interactive activities, mentor engagement, and evaluation tools designed to connect the larger mentoring mission to an experience students could actually participate in.
The program was subsequently highlighted publicly through Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ mentoring coverage, providing a visible example of how thoughtful program design and facilitation can move from concept to implementation.
HOW HBG HELPS MOVE THE WORK
From Priority to Organized Action.
Good ideas often stall somewhere between the need and the execution.
HBG helps organizations turn broad goals, community priorities, business opportunities, and institutional challenges into clearer strategies, stronger structures, practical tools, and defined next steps.
The exact work depends on the situation. The objective is always the same: make the path forward easier to understand and easier to act on.
01
Strategic Direction
Turning priorities into a practical path forward.
We help clarify the objective, identify the real constraint, establish priorities, and determine what should happen next.
02
Program + Initiative Design
Building the structure around an idea.
We help shape programs and initiatives around clear outcomes, audiences, partners, responsibilities, resources, and implementation needs.
03
Stakeholder + Partnership Alignment
Getting the right people around the right work.
We help identify stakeholders, clarify roles, structure engagement, strengthen partnerships, and organize conversations around decisions and action.
04
Implementation + Project Support
Helping plans survive contact with reality.
We help translate strategy into milestones, assignments, timelines, working sessions, follow-up, and practical next actions that keep the work moving.
05
Operating Systems + Governance
Creating the structure that supports the mission.
We help strengthen workflows, responsibilities, meeting structures, documentation, decision processes, templates, governance practices, and other systems that make work easier to manage.
06
Writing + Decision Materials
Turning complex work into clear communication.
We develop plans, briefs, proposals, presentations, business materials, stakeholder communications, service language, and other tools that help people understand the work and make informed decisions.