I write to inform you our past Executive Director, Dr. Phillip (Phil) Harris passed away on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Recently, Phil has struggled with illness and the effects from a break sustained from a fall. Any who met Phil, found he was not a man to forget. Phil served as the Executive Director of AECT for over 20 years. He started his role in 1999 during a time of upheaval for AECT. The organization was dealing with financial distress and a move away from Washington DC. Phil helped establish AECT in Bloomington, Indiana and helped to stabilize the organization’s finances over the years. He established first contract with Springer Nature for the publishing of ETR&D and TechTrends. That initial contract led to the successful AECT Books and Briefs series, publishing opportunities with Routledge, and the AECT Leadership and Best Practices in Educational Technology Management series with Brill. Phil was also a longtime supporter of the AECT Internship program, international affiliations, and leadership development.
On a personal note, Phil was a friend and mentor to me in leadership and publishing over the years. Phil, barely knowing me at the time helped me to get my first book published by Springer. He loved AECT and its members and will be truly missed. My life is better for having known Phil, and I am glad to have called him my friend.
Phil’s family asks that in lieu of flowers that donations be made to the AECT Foundation for the Leadership Internships (contact rgdoyle12@gmail.com for more information) or to the Southern Poverty Law Center (https://www.splcenter.org/). You can read his obituary here: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/bloomington-in/phillip-harris-12796742
Chris T. Miller
AECT President
The following AECT members have shared some remembrances of Phil.
Robert Harrell, AECT Past-President, 1998-1999 - I was serving as immediate Past President in 1999 when Phil Harris was interviewed and hired as Executive Director. The AECT Board of Directors had recently made the decision to relocate AECT Headquarters from Washington, DC to Indiana. I consider the headquarters relocation and the subsequent hiring of Phil Harris a season of synchronicity. Phil served AECT most admirably during his tenure. We remained friends for life.
Barbara Lockee, AECT Past-President, 2010-2011 – I cannot imagine anyone who has made a more positive impact on AECT. He gave so much of himself to support our collective success. May we remember him always for his professional leadership, his commitment to rigorous inquiry, and his selfless dedication to the service of our community.
Anthony Piña, AECT Foundation President and AECT Secretary – At the turn of the century, when other professional associations were ceasing operations, Dr. Phil Harris’s leadership turned AECT from an organization in existential crisis to a viable and thriving community of professionals. As AECT’s new Executive Director, Phil established the association’s headquarters in a more affordable location, formulated business and publishing partnerships that increased the number of resources and scholarly opportunities for AECT members, and increased the association’s revenue. Phil was often the highest donor At AECT Foundation and International Division auctions, contributing much of his own money back to the Association. I was blessed to have been able to co-author and co-edit scholarly works with my friend Phil and benefit from his knowledge and experience. Phil will be sorely missed by those of us who had the privilege to know and serve alongside him.
Michael Grant, AECT Past-President, 2019-2020 – Dr. Philip L. Harris, and just Phil to his friends and colleagues from around the globe, was a staunch and compassionate educator and the executive director for AECT for over 20 years. With his wife Joan by his side, he strategically and kindheartedly guided AECT through tough financial strains to establish a lasting legacy of financial prosperity, positive international partnerships, and authoritative academic scholarship and publications. Phil’s approachability, however, belied his expert plans and systems for administering AECT’s everyday operations and future trajectory. As many leaders before me, I came to understand Phil’s expertise as we worked together. It was skillful and practiced but not always transparent to others.
From our time working together for AECT, Phil’s influence on me was both subtle and substantial, personal and professional. However, his most meaningful impression on me was how to treat individuals — individuals who volunteered their time, were passionate for a cause, wanted innovation and change, sought diversity and justice, and cared deeply about our field, AECT, and its members. Time and again, I observed Phil’s acts of profound kindness and grace, deep respect, personal sacrifice, and wild optimism toward individuals within AECT’s reach. These acts, though, were generously and often spontaneously offered. They were involuntary yet intentional. Phil’s spirit towards AECT members and volunteers was an exemplar and model for the type of professional and leader I aspired to be. Phil acknowledged and respected the individuals doing the important work within AECT. He wholly understood the voluntary service that was required of committees, board members, and leaders to move our organization forward. He mentored new AECT leaders as new friends, new conspirators who would affect significant — if surprising — transformations, all while smiling. He modeled, cultivated, and embraced the supportive atmosphere AECT was known for.
While clichéd, I am reminded of the teacher’s fable of starfish on the beach, and I am the one that was returned to the sea, forever changed by Phil’s acts of generosity.
Brad Hokansen, AECT Past-President, 2016-2017 - In leading the organization, he gave me, and many others, opportunities to advance while helping AECT advance. He bought into the Summer Research Symposium early and supported it for a great run.
John Curry, AECT President Elect - There truly are not sufficient words to describe the impact Phil had on my life. He was a personal mentor, and he taught me to be a professional in the field. He guided me to opportunities to serve in the organization, and he helped me get my book published, too. Beyond AECT, however, he modeled passion for the field, as well as an incredible sense of humanity and caring for others. He taught me that each person in AECT, from the newest member to the most seasoned, was important to the health and success of the organization. He cared about people, but not just because he was the Executive Director of the organization, but because he was a good human. He loved AECT more than most people will ever realize. We, as an organization, should never forget Phil, his service to the organization, and most importantly, his service to his fellowman. And for the record, he had a great laugh. I’m going to miss hearing his laugh. My prayers go out to Joan and the kids. We’ve all lost a good one, but we’re better for having had him in our lives.
Bob Doyle, AECT Foundation Treasurer - Phil Harris dedicated more than two decades of his life to AECT and to collaborating with an immeasurable number of AECT members. He guided the Association from near bankruptcy to our days of financial stability. With gratitude for all that you did, we say. Farewell, friend. Your indomitable impact on AECT lives on.