PRINCE WILLIAM ACADEMY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Founder
Dr. Samia Harris was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, and graduated from the University of Cairo in 1973 with a BA in Philosophy. She left Egypt soon thereafter, and moved with her new husband to Toronto, Canada. In Toronto, she received a CDA, and thus began her career in education. In the early 1980s, Dr. Harris moved to Saudi Arabia to run a school for English-speaking expatriates in Riyadh. By 1985, she had moved with her young son to Virginia, and in 1987 founded Early Years Academy, the predecessor to Prince William Academy, in a lovely old house on five acres in Manassas. By 2006, the school had outgrown its space, and Dr. Harris built Prince William Academy, a 24,000-sq-ft facility that includes a gym and multipurpose room, a library, and over 40 classrooms.
While the small private school grew in size and reputation, Dr. Harris continued her own education, receiving her MBA from Strayer University, and a Doctorate of Education from Nova Southeastern University in 2002.
In addition to her career as an educator, Dr. Harris is a prominent activist for democracy in Egypt, and regularly appears as an expert discussant on a variety of news networks. She is a founding member of the Alliance of Egyptian Americans, and of the group Democracy for Egypt.