| Jeffrey K. Harris | |
| Order: | 11th |
| Director of the National Reconnaissance Office | |
| Term Start: | May 19, 1994[1] |
| Term End: | February 26, 1996 |
| Predecessor: | Martin C. Faga |
| Successor: | Keith R. Hall |
| President: | Bill Clinton |
| Birth Date: | 28 June 1953 |
| Birth Place: | White Plains, New York, US |
| Alma Mater: | Rochester Institute of Technology |
Jeffrey King Harris (born June 28, 1953)[2] is an American aerospace executive who served as 11th director of the National Reconnaissance Office from 1994 to 1996. Currently, he chair of the RIT Board of Trustees.[3]
Harris was born in White Plains, New York in 1953 and graduated from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School in 1971.[4] He attended from Rochester Institute of Technology,[5] earning an associate's degree in applied sciences in 1974 and a B.S. degree in photographic science and instrumentation in 1975. Harris then went to work for the Central Intelligence Agency.[4] In 1978, he transferred from the National Photographic Intelligence Center to The Office of Development and Engineering.
Mr. Harris managed the integration of NRO programs into three functional directorates. He was a member of the R. James Woolsey panel that studied the future of NRO systems. He was a major proponent and architect of consolidating signals intelligence systems in a new partnership with the National Security Agency. Mr. Harris directed the CORONA program declassification and established a public affairs program.[6]
Harris and deputy director Jimmie D. Hill were dismissed in 1996 after losing track of more than $2 billion in classified money. Harris was replaced by Keith Hall.[7]
Harris was named president of the Space Systems-Missiles & Space Operations division of Lockheed Martin in 2001.[8]
As of 2024, Harris serves on the advisory board of the National Security Space Association.[9]