Al Harris

Driven by a passion for creating spaces that foster engaging and impactful experiences within the community, Al Harris brings thoughtful, intentional design to every project. With over 20 years designing and managing more than 30 collegiate structures, civic arenas and facilities across the country, Al’s expertise lies in leading design teams of all sizes to keep projects on schedule and under budget. As a design-forward project manager, Al’s communication style has resulted in him being considered a trusted advisor to design teams and clients alike.

Al’s innovative thinking has impacted communities of all sizes, leading to many of his projects receiving recognition from industry publications including Engineering News-Record, which named the University of New Hampshire’s Wildcat Stadium as New England’s Best Project and stadiumjourney.com, which named South Carolina’s Carolina Stadium as the number one collegiate ballpark in the country.

Inspired to become an architect during a high school career fair his freshman year, Al aims to spark similar inspiration within young individuals. In 2018, Al helped charter the local Kansas City chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). NOMA’s mission is to “empower our local chapters and membership to foster justice and equity in communities of color through outreach, community advocacy, professional development and design excellence.” Through his leadership and involvement in various community outreach and awareness programs, Al works to increase awareness of architecture and design as a viable career path for young people of color who may not otherwise have this exposure to the industry.

Within Populous, Al is also impacting our approach to community and policy through his leadership of POP together, a space that democratizes access to opportunity, education, growth and wellness. Al founded POP together in 2019 to demonstrate how diversity, equity and inclusion enhance our overall company culture, design thinking, expertise and client satisfaction.

Al fosters an ardent passion for creating a more equitable, inclusive future through bringing meaningful, accessible design to all communities.