About Dee Harris

Dee Harris believes creativity and curiosity unlock our capacity to solve complex problems and imagine new possibilities. She puts this philosophy into practice as a writer and strategist working across sectors—from open culture to behavioral health and education—using storytelling as advocacy to help communities make sense of complexity and navigate change.

As Director of Open Culture Storytelling at Creative Commons, she serves as Secretariat of a global coalition to advance equitable access to heritage in the public domain through international policy standards under UNESCO's auspices. In this role, she developed strategic campaigns, creative visuals, and story-driven messaging that translate legal, technical, and cultural barriers into advocacy communications that move policy and inspire action.

Previously, as Chief Marketing Communications Officer for Family & Children’s Services, one of Oklahoma’s largest behavioral health centers, Harris built and led an integrated marketing, communications, legislative, and community engagement team that supported the communication needs of more than 70 programs. She launched a multimedia storytelling team that produced award-winning campaigns and founded the OK State of Mind podcast, amplifying local voices and reshaping public understanding of mental health.

As a former educator, Harris founded award-winning journalism and multimedia programs in Bixby Public Schools that empowered students through project-based learning and creative confidence. She developed a curriculum blending media literacy, narrative writing, and visual storytelling, earning state and local recognition for teaching excellence. She also intentionally designed her classrooms as dynamic, creative studios that fueled collaboration and experimentation, giving students room to explore their curiosity and agency. These environments became story labs that laid the foundation for her ongoing commitment to using creativity as a tool for transformation in a rapidly changing digital world.

Harris writes and speaks globally across disciplines on access to cultural heritage, creative leadership, digital storytelling strategies, and mental health advocacy, inspiring audiences from community gatherings to international conferences. She serves as a member and juror for the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts and has held national leadership roles with the Association for Women in Communications and the Journalism Education Association. She is currently at work on a book exploring the creative fluencies essential for thriving in an AI-integrated world.