Brent C. Harris

Brent C. Harris is an American attorney who worked on the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, and later served as Director of Global Affairs for Facebook, where he was instrumental in developing Facebook's Oversight Board.

Early life, education, and career Born in Norman, Oklahoma, Harris received a B.A. and M.A. from Stanford University in 2004, after which he worked for the Hewlett Foundation for two years. After his work with the commission was done, Harris served as a consultant for nonprofit organizations, and became known as "an expert in international regulation".

Director of Global Affairs at Facebook Between late 2017 and early 2018, Facebook hired Harris to become the company's Director of Global Affairs. Wired noted that "ince [Harris] had worked on adjudicating the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, he was well-placed to deal with the gushers of offensive content on Facebook's platform". and headlining the public consultation on the initiative in cities around the world, including in his hometown of Norman.

Following the initiation of operations of the body, Harris disputed characterizations of the Oversight Board as a means for Facebook to "duck responsibility for its toughest decisions".