2026 Jakubik Family Endowment Staff Award
Keith Harmon
Executive Director, Meyerhoff Scholars Program
Keith Harmon is the Senior Director of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at UMBC.
Currently, UMBC leads the nation in African American undergraduates who go on to earn M.D.-Ph.D.s, and ranks number one for African American undergraduates who go on to earn Ph.D.s in the natural sciences, engineering, and math and computer science.
Harmon has worked to support students in higher education for over 25 years. Through efforts with the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, he focuses on refining and advancing best practices for undergraduate STEM success and implementing effective approaches with partner institutions and organizations across the nation.
He is a recipient of the National Role Model Award by Minority Access, Inc, and has been an invited speaker for the Education Writers Association, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Jack Kent Cook Foundation, Simons Foundation, ABRCMS, The College Board, Philippine American Academy of Science and Engineering (PAASE), and The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Harmon earned a Bachelor’s of Music in piano performance from Jacksonville University and a Master’s of music in piano performance from the Jacobs Schools of Music at Indiana University. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in language, literacy, and culture at UMBC.