Harris Sherman

Harris Sherman
President, Harris Sherman & Associates LLC

Harris Sherman is the President of Harris Sherman & Associates LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in public lands, energy, water, mining, forestry, recreation, Native American, and conservation strategies.

Prior to this, Harris practiced law for over three decades with Arnold & Porter, an international law firm, where he served as Managing Partner of the firm’s Denver office for over 20 years and where he represented major corporations, utilities, foundations, states, cities, counties, local districts, and Indian tribes on a wide variety of governmental and natural resource-related issues.

Harris has interspersed his private law practice with several stints in federal and state government. President Obama appointed him as Under Secretary for Natural Resources & the Environment at USDA, where he was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, a position he held from 2009-2013. In this capacity he oversaw the United States Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. He has also served in the cabinets of two different Colorado governors (Richard Lamm and Bill Ritter) as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources overseeing the State’s energy, water, mining, wildlife, parks and forestry programs.

Harris has also been involved in a wide variety of public and non-profit leadership roles during his career including Chairman of the Colorado Oil & Gas Commission; Chairman of the Water Quality Control Commission; Commissioner of the Denver Water Board; Trustee of Colorado College, Trustee of the Boettcher Foundation, Chair of the Denver Regional Air Quality Council; Chair of Trust For Public Land Advisory Board; and Vice-Chair of the Colorado Nature Conservancy.

He has a B.A. from Colorado College and an LL.B. from Columbia University Law School.