Jennifer Harris

Jennifer Harris is an education ombuds and policy/legal analyst with the WA State Office of the Education Ombuds (OEO) since 2008. She is an attorney and mediator, specializing in K-12 education and a member of the Washington State Bar and the Washington Mediation Association. Jennifer holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Washington School of Law, and a Masters of Public Administration degree from the UW Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs. Over half of OEO’s work is with families and schools in the area of special education issues. Before joining OEO, Jennifer worked as a K-12 public education researcher at the University of Washington’s College of Education, the UW Center on Reinventing Public Education, and UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. Jennifer’s work with clients and schools is also informed by her experience in the classroom; she was a special education teacher at Stanford University’s Children’s Health Council School, taught English as a Second Language, and a variety of subjects for Independent K-8 schools. Having practiced conflict resolution since 1996, she has been responsible for developing OEO’s communication and conflict resolution skills workshops, and provided trainings for teachers, prospective principals, school board members, and other education-related staff.