By Tavon N. Thomasson
Special to the AFRO
thomasson@afro.com
Trustees of the Abell Foundation announced Aug. 18 that Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s chief of staff, Fagan Harris, will become the organization’s next president and CEO. Fagan will officially step into the role Jan. 5, 2026.
“Abell is a powerful catalyst for social impact in our city, and I am humbled to join this historic Baltimore institution,” Harris said in the announcement. “As this new chapter begins, I am committed to ensuring that the foundation’s work will remain deeply rooted in its core mission of improving the lives of the people of Baltimore.”
Harris will be just the second president in the foundation’s history. He takes on the position after Robert C. Embry Jr., who led the organization for nearly 40 years and expanded its role in Baltimore’s civic life.
Embry, who has closely followed Harris’ career, said he is confident in the foundation’s future.
“I have admired Fagan since the early days of Baltimore Corps,” said Embry in the announcement statement. “He is a visionary leader who knows this city and has dedicated his career to pursuing innovative ideas for improving the lives of all Baltimoreans. The foundation will be in great hands.”
Embry’s faith in Harris is rooted in his years of service to Baltimore and beyond. In Baltimore, he co-founded Baltimore Corps to connect residents with jobs and strengthen local entrepreneurship. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Harris guided a $12 million program that hired more than 300 public health professionals.
Before Baltimore Corps, Harris built a national profile as director at the Emerson Collective, collaborating with Laurene Powell Jobs on immigration reform. He also contributed locally through board service with the Enoch Pratt Free Library and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
As Harris prepares to leave his role, Gov. Moore lauded the appointment, describing him as “one of the most consequential Chiefs of Staff in Maryland history.”
“He is one of America’s best social entrepreneurs and has brought energy and vision to the role that has made our state immeasurably better,” Gov. Moore said in the announcement. “The successes Maryland has seen for the past two and a half years, from record drops in unemployment, to historic drops in violent crime, to nation leading initiatives like the service year option and the ENOUGH Initiative, have been guided by Fagan’s steady hand.”
In his role as chief of staff, Harris ran the governor’s office and handled the daily operations of the state government. Among his accomplishments were guiding negotiations to retain the Baltimore Orioles and coordinating Maryland’s response to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
Community leaders also welcomed Harris’s appointment.
“Fagan has been a mentor to me from his time with Baltimore Corps, and under his leadership I know Abell will continue to grow and change alongside the Baltimore communities it serves,” Antoin Quarles, founder of H.O.P.E. Baltimore, said in the statement.
Harris’s appointment marks both continuity and change for the Abell Foundation, positioning him to build on Embry’s legacy while bringing fresh vision to one of Baltimore’s most influential philanthropic institutions.
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