David Harris
Rio Vista,CA
Summary
Dynamic leader with a proven track record at OpenStax, driving 40% YoY growth in OER adoption. Expert in partnership development and digital publishing, securing $30M+ in grants. Adept at executing go-to-market strategies, fostering innovation, and enhancing academic integrity in higher education. Passionate about transforming learning through technology and collaboration.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Editor-in-Chief
OpenStax, Rice University
11.2011 - 10.2025
- Built one of the nation's most adopted OER platforms, reaching 6.5M students/year at 4,000+ institutions.
- Scaled program with 40%+ YoY growth vs. ~2% industry average.
- Developed 55+ partner ecosystem (Apple, Chegg, WebAssign) cutting acquisition costs to <$10/student.
- Raised $30M+ in grants (Gates, Hewlett, others).
- Positioned OpenStax as a national thought leader in OER and affordable learning.
President
WebAssign
12.2009 - 12.2011
- Delivered 35-40% revenue growth two consecutive years.
- Positioned company as the first for-profit OER player.
- Scaled SaaS platform (3× capacity) and eliminated chronic crashes.
Editorial Director
John Wiley & Sons
12.2007 - 12.2009
- Signed $11M in new product; achieved 106% of annual goal.
- Led 15 staff, 85 titles/year; built analytics-driven customer engagement.
Publisher
Cengage Learning
02.2002 - 12.2007
- Grew STEM portfolio to $62M annual revenue with 10-12% YoY growth.
- Introduced subscription models and conducted product development with WebAssign/OWL.
Education
B.A. - International Finance & Asian Studies
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CTSkills
- AI in Education
- Content strategy
- Partnership development
- Digital publishing
- Academic Integrity Strategy
- OER
- Go-To-Market Execution
- Product Development
- Partnerships
- Fundraising
- Higher Ed Strategy
Affiliations
- 50 Ton Merchant Mariner's License
Press Coverage
"This Textbook Deal Could Change Education Publishing" (August 11, 2022)
Forbes reports on a significant textbook deal, with Harris commenting on its implications for the publishing industry.
forbes.com
"Popular Chemistry Textbook's New Edition Will Be Free" (August 11, 2022)
Inside Higher Ed covers the release of a free edition of a widely used chemistry textbook, featuring insights from Harris on the significance of this development for OER.
insidehighered.com
"3 Questions for Ed Tech and Publishing Expert David Harris" (May 23, 2021)
In this Inside Higher Ed interview, Harris discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on open educational resources (OER), critiques of tutoring and textbook solutions companies, and the future of higher education.
insidehighered.com
Timeline
Editor-in-Chief
OpenStax, Rice University
11.2011 - 10.2025
President
WebAssign
12.2009 - 12.2011
Editorial Director
John Wiley & Sons
12.2007 - 12.2009
Publisher
Cengage Learning
02.2002 - 12.2007
B.A. - International Finance & Asian Studies
University of Connecticut