As a kid in fifth grade, I was my father’s apprentice. While classmates traded sports cards, judging others based on the shoes they wore, and spent their days getting into mischief, I was hauling wire, crimping phone jacks, and learning that a good business plan is equal parts hustle and humanity. My father, Henry Harris Sr., left the predictability of a paycheck to launch Spirit Telecommunications, a telephone and computer systems installation and repair company whose slogan was “Spirit Telecommunications - Guiding you into the Future of Communications.”
He worked sun up to sun down so that one day my siblings and I would inherit more than just equipment; we would inherit a legacy. My days and nights outside of supporting the family business consisted of leading Boy Scout meetings, maintaining honor roll status, and perfecting my game on the basketball court and soccer field in Boys & Girls Club league sports, playing video games, feeding the homeless, and being a big sibling to a brother with developmental disabilities and a sister dealing with seizures. Through it all, I did my best to absorb my father's and Boy Scout leader’s lessons in stewardship: take ownership of the resources you’ve been given, invest them wisely, and always keep an eye on the horizon.
In those early years, I didn’t have the language of boardrooms or venture funds, but I understood accountability and collaboration because they were baked into our family business. My dad taught me that if we installed a phone system in a school, it had to work flawlessly. No excuses. He modelled integrity, insisting we always stand by our word, even if it meant longer hours or slimmer margins. He demanded respect; respect for our customers and for each other. And, perhaps most importantly, he practiced stewardship. Every tool, dollar, assignment, and relationship was to be cared for and well-maintained, ensuring an upward evolution of its condition.
Fast forward to last month, where I find myself stepping in to lead TEDCO’s all staff retreat. TEDCO’s core values feel like a familiar set of tools from my childhood toolkit. As a volunteer retreat chair balancing my full time work as an investment analyst, personal commitments, and the expectations of colleagues who were voluntold to join me on this journey, I can’t help but feel like that eleven year old again: juggling, learning, and striving to make my father proud.
Stewardship isn’t passive maintenance; it’s an active, forward looking charge. TEDCO’s own reflections on stewardship remind us that we are not simply here to preserve funds, we’re entrusted with “guiding, cultivating and facilitating the growth of Maryland’s technology based ecosystem.” It means multiplying resources for the benefit of others and making decisions today that will hopefully ensure future generations inherit something stronger, more vibrant, and more inclusive. My father demonstrated this long before I read it in a strategic plan. When the business grew, he reinvested in equipment and people; when margins were thin, he refused to compromise on quality because he knew our reputation was the real asset.
Stewardship is also about knowing when to pass the torch. Dad always said, “I’m not building this just for me.” He meant it literally, but as I look at TEDCO’s work in transitioning programs like Cyber Maryland to partners better positioned for the next phase of growth, I see the same humility and vision. Leaders steward missions, not egos. They plant seeds for trees whose shade they may never sit under.
Serving as investment analyst turned retreat lead is reminiscent of the apprenticeship years in my family’s dusty garage-office turned co-founder alongside my dad of Spiritco1, the internet gospel radio that gave independent artists a home. As retreat chair I led a team of brilliant colleagues through exercises like “One TEDCO, One Why,” crafting a shared purpose out of our individual missions. I facilitated reflections on how our Day 1 insights will shape a FY 2026–27 vision. I listened to fireside chats that challenged us to evolve with emerging technologies. The stakes may be higher and the vocabulary more polished, but the essence is the same: steward what you’ve been given, honor those who came before you, and prepare the soil for those who will come after.
At TEDCO, stewardship manifests in countless ways: from prudently deploying state and federal funds to catalyze early stage companies, to ensuring our Equitech and cybersecurity programs support inclusive talent pipelines, to the way we respect one another’s time and contributions. It’s visible when our CEO, Troy, leads with transparency and invites our questions. It’s our commitment to treat every founder, ecosystem support organization, co-investor, and, most importantly, 1TEDCO colleague with fairness and dignity.
My father’s slogan promised to guide customers into the future of communications. Now, my calling is to help TEDCO guide Maryland into the future of innovation and economic empowerment. The journey isn’t linear, but every lesson along life's journey so far has prepared me to steward something bigger than myself. Whether I’m diligencing an investment opportunity or leading a retreat, I carry forward the same principles: do the right thing even when it’s hard; work together because none of us succeed alone; tell the truth, especially when it’s uncomfortable; see and value every voice at the table; listen intently, and leave everything you touch better than you found it.
Stewardship is not a static responsibility; it’s a way of life. It invites us to act with care, accountability, grace, and vision. It challenges us to invest in others, make decisions with a long-term horizon, and know when to step aside for the next leader. It demands that we ask ourselves, in every role and at every stage, “How will my actions today ripple into tomorrow?”
As I look toward all that's in store for the rest of 2026 and beyond, I’m inspired by the opportunity to be a part of a 1TEDCO that challenges one another individually, so we can collectively evolve TEDCO into the global industry standard for region-focused economic, entrepreneurial development, and innovation ecosystem hubs. Stewarding a company that becomes the benchmark and leaves a legacy has been a dream for my father, and it’s the legacy I aspire to help steward alongside all of you. After all, good stewards don’t just watch over a mission; they live it!