Former PG&E Leader’s Advocacy for Black Engineers Built a National Movement

Tony Harris was one of the lucky ones when he was earning his bachelor’s of science in mechanical engineering in the early 1970s.

Harris attended Purdue University along with five friends from Chicago’s South Side. “I already had a social network and a built-in study group. That contributed to my success in my freshman and sophomore years,” said Harris, PG&E’s vice president of Sales and Marketing from 1992-99.

However, most of the minority students who came to Purdue or attended other schools weren’t as fortunate. “The graduation and retention rates were low. I saw that as a problem. As I went to visit other campuses, it was a shared problem,” he said.

The start of something big

Purdue already had a campus group, the Black Society of Engineers, launched in 1971. This student group helped increase recruitment and retention of Black engineering scholars at Purdue.

In 1973, Harris and his friends (aka Chicago Six) helped change the name of the BSE to the Society of Black Engineers. A year later, the group went national to increase the number of Blacks in the engineering profession across the United States.

“We talked about what we wanted to do about that problem,” said Harris. “We decided we could make a difference.”

In April 1975, more than 130 students from nearly 30 schools attended a meeting at Purdue. The result? The National Society of Black Engineers was born.

Today, NSBE is one of the largest student-governed groups in the United States. NSBE has 850 chapters worldwide in 13 countries, more than 22,000 members, a $20 million annual budget, and 50 full-time employees. Its mission is “to increase the number of culturally responsible Black Engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community.”

NSBE’s influence was big. Companies, governments and universities supported NSBE’s work in creating opportunities such as camping conferences, study groups and minority engineering programs.

A legacy at PG&E

Harris was the executive sponsor when PG&E’s NSBE chapter started 30 years ago. According to Ken Forward, current president of the chapter, the founders saw a way to increase Black students and diversity while building a community of professional support and engagement.

PG&E’s chapter supports and partners with various organizations to help coworkers earn designations such as Project Management Professional and Professional Engineer. Members also mentor college students through Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) USA. Membership in NSBE is open to all PG&E coworkers.

“We give back with time, resources, scholarships and career experience to the communities where we live and serve,” said Forward.

‘Makes me feel very proud’

These days, Harris is the president/CEO of Campbell/Harris Security Equipment Company in Oakland. The company makes equipment that detects explosives and “dirty bombs,” among other devices. His main clients include the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Customs and Border Protection.

Harris’s influence at PG&E with NSBE continues to be felt 30 years later. “His work signifies a great legacy and staying power,” said Forward. “It makes everyone realize how important of a need there was, and is, for the organization.”

Fifty years have passed, but Harris remains involved with NSBE as a member of the national advisory board. He always attends the national convention, where he’s reminded about what was  established.

“Our annual convention attracts up to 20,000 attendees. Many of them come up to me and say NSBE made a huge difference in their lives, some with tears in their eyes,” said Harris. “To know I was part of something impactful that has lasted so long makes me feel very proud.”