When Steve Harrison stepped up to the podium at William & Mary’s 2025 Public Policy Commencement Ceremony, he wasn’t just addressing graduates — he was welcoming them into a lifelong community of impact, innovation, and, as he fondly called it, the “William & Mary Wow Factor.”
As Chief Operating Officer of the Hampton Roads Alliance, Harrison stands at the intersection of local leadership and global strategy. His path to regional economic leadership began right where the Class of 2025 now finds itself — on the historic campus of William & Mary. A two-time graduate, Harrison earned his bachelor’s in government in 2008 and a Master of Public Policy in 2010. From the birth of Facebook to the tremors of the Great Recession (of 2008), his student days were marked by rapid transformation — a fitting prelude to the evolving world he now helps shape.
Harrison’s commencement remarks reminded graduates that while the world may have changed drastically in the past 15 years, one thing remains constant: the power of a William & Mary education.
“It provides you with the tools and the platform you need to make a difference,” he said.
And make a difference, he has.
After a formative graduate assistantship with William & Mary’s Office of Economic Development, Harrison began what a Professor told him was a “niche profession in local government.”
Fast forward to today, and he’s spent the last 15 years serving his hometown and the broader Hampton Roads region — first with the City of Virginia Beach, and now with the Hampton Roads Alliance, a public-private partnership representing more than 1.8 million residents and 15 localities.
In his current role, Harrison and the Alliance have been at the forefront of shaping a post-COVID economy for the region — one that is increasingly reshoring, remilitarizing and decarbonizing.
From welcoming a nearly $700 million investment from LS Greenlink to strengthen the offshore wind industry, to supporting the AUKUS alliance alongside international partners in nuclear submarine production, Harrison underscored that regional public service can have truly global consequences.
“These aren’t things I expected to work on when I set my sights on local and regional public service,” Harrison told the crowd. “But the global ripples that emanate from local community centers cannot be underestimated.”
Harrison noted that William & Mary has produced many world-famous public servants, from Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe to Robert Gates, but is also the alma mater to countless people whose names we don’t know but whose impact we feel in communities worldwide. Many graduates, Harrison noted, are “leading locally but impacting globally.”
Throughout his address, Harrison offered candid reflections on both the challenges and triumphs of his career. From attending local civic meetings to representing the region abroad, he painted a vivid picture of what it means to serve — with purpose, with humility and with an eye always on the greater good.
He also took a moment to celebrate the community that made his own journey possible: his parents, Cindy and Ernie, his sister, Julie, his husband Phil — and the tribe that is William & Mary.
“Virtually all the professional doors I opened were first unlocked by the William & Mary key,” he shared.
For the Hampton Roads Alliance, Harrison’s moment at the podium is more than a proud alumni achievement — it’s a testament to the deep connection between talent, education, and economic vitality in our region. His journey illustrates how investing in people — and in place — can build a brighter future for all.
As the graduates left with diplomas in hand, they also carried a message that will echo long beyond commencement day: Wherever your journey takes you, the William & Mary “Wow” factor will follow.
Harrison encouraged his newly minted fellow alumni to change the world — one region at a time.
