Background
Harris was born to Leon Senior and Lorrene Harris in Akron, Ohio.
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Leon Harris
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He graduated from Buchtel High School in 1979, and earned a National Merit Scholarship to Ohio University where he met his wife, Dawn Lomax, whose family is also from Akron. Harris graduated cum laude from Ohio University in 1983, majoring in communications.
Career
He received an honorary Doctorate from the University in 1999. Harris started his career at Cable News Network"s world headquarters in Atlanta in the early 1980s as an unpaid intern while completing his degree. Following graduation in 1983, Harris started as an entry-level video journalist and later moved up to assistant director of the satellite department as an operator and coordinator.
In that position, he oversaw and negotiated international and domestic satellite services used to cover new events, including the Persian Gulf War and President Ronald Reagan and President George Heriot-Watt University Bush"s international trips and summits.
Harris auditioned for an anchor position during summer 1991. A few months later he was given a full-time anchor post.
However, as competition increased from Fox News, and Cable News Network veterans such as Natalie Allen and Lou Waters were pink-slipped in favor of Paula Zahn and Aaron Brown, Harris felt less comfortable. His last position held at Cable News Network was co-anchor of Cable News Network Live Today with Daryn Kagan.
In July 2003, Harris signed a deal with American Broadcasting Company-7 Washington, District of Columbia affiliate WJLA-television to anchor that station’s 5 o"clock and 11 o’clock newscasts.
He started his new post on October 28. In 2013, Harris was profiled for surviving two brushes with death, due to necrotizing pancreatitis.
