Meet the Chairwoman

Contact Information

rogetteharris@gmail.com

Rogette Harris has been following American politics from a young age. As a teenager, she became involved with civil rights issues and became President of an NAACP Youth Chapter. At the age of 16, she worked with the PA House of Representatives to draft a bill to look into nonpublic schools that receive state and/or federal funds but are not held to the same scrutiny, regulations, and policies that public schools are held to due to discrimination incidents that occurred to her. In 2000, when she was able to vote in a Presidential election for the first time, the historic recount election decided by the U.S. Supreme Court between Vice President Al Gore and Governor George W. Bush propelled her into politics on a much deeper level and she hasn’t looked back. She then for President of the University of Pittsburgh Democrats and won to become the first African American to hold that title.

While in graduate school, Rogette was engaged in American politics professionally and worked at the Democratic National Committee. After school, she moved back to Pennsylvania and worked at the PA House of Representatives, where she spent 10 years writing and creating policy.

In 2014, Rogette became the youngest woman and first African American elected Chair of the Democratic Party in Dauphin County, PA. After her unanimous re-election in 2018, Rogette is the only African American county chair in the state of Pennsylvania. As Chair, her accomplishments include growing the donor base to open the first permanent headquarters in Dauphin County. In 2022, Rogette was the first African-American woman elected Chair of the South Central PA Caucus of the PA. The counties that make up South Central PA are Dauphin, Cumberland, Lebanon, Franklin, Adams, Perry, and York counties. She was also elected the first African American woman to lead the National Women’s Political Caucus of Pennsylvania from 2009-2012.

Rogette is now a political analyst, as well as a research, policy, and communications specialist. She currently is a contributor opinion writer for PA Pennlive.com/The Patriot News and on the editorial board. She also was a Democratic anchor for Pennlive’s Battleground PA Podcast where she debated issues pertaining to Washington D.C. and the 2020 elections alongside FOX news analyst Jeffrey Lord. She currently is host of her own podcast entitled "Unfinished Business". In addition, in 2023, Rogette was elected a Derry Township Auditor by the voters of Derry Township. She is currently the only woman on the board.

Rogette is completing her first book entitled “Madam Chair” that outlines her experiences as an African American woman in politics. She served as a guest lecturer at the Harrisburg Area Community College, York, PA and as a GED teacher at the Academy of Hope in Washington DC.

Rogette’s passion has brought her several achievements, which include being the first person in Pennsylvania to win the Gloster B. Current national Leadership award from the Nat’l NAACP and the first to win it for three consecutive years. She was a 40 under 40 award recipient from the Central Penn Business Journal in 2010, a Woman of Excellence Recipient from the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg in 2016, and an MLK Jr. DREAM Catcher Award recipient 2019. Educationally, Rogette has a Master's Degree in Public Administration as well as a Master's Degree in Business Administration. She also has her CRCR certification.