In Memory of Marcia Harris

Marcia Harris passed away on September 28, 2007 after a short illness.  

She proudly headed the Restaurant Association of Maryland, the largest membership based trade association in the Baltimore region, since 1986.  She was also President and CEO of the Maryland Hospitality Education Foundation, which she helped to create in 1994.

When Marcia began working for the association, the association had 198 members, a budget of $25,000 and she was the only staff member. Today, the staff totals over 25, membership tops 3,000 and the budget is over $3,000,000 annually.

She was a past winner of the Industry Leader of the Year award from the Academy of Travel, Tourism & Hospitality, was named one of “Maryland’s Top 100 Women” by The Daily Record and in 2007 was honored with the first Foodservice Monthly “Foodservice Leader of the Year” award.

Marcia diligently served on the boards of the National Restaurant Association, the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association, The Executive Director’s Council of the Maryland Office of Tourism Development, The Governor’s Workforce Development Board-Hospitality Committee, The National Academies of Travel, Tourism, Finance and IT board, and The Chesapeake Center for Youth Development (CCYD), among others.  She was also past president of the International Society of Restaurant Association Executives and was a founding member of the Women's Foodservice Forum. 

Marcia Harris was most importantly the mother of four grown children, grandmother of seven and the wife of Ed Harris. Marcia was a woman of strong conviction, exuberance and had recently embraced a phrase that described her passion for life, “Life may not be the party we hoped for ... but while we are here, we might as well dance!"

The Restaurant Association of Maryland and the Maryland Hospitality Education Foundation have created the Marcia S. Harris Legacy Fund to ensure that her name and passion for the foodservice industry will live on. The Marcia S. Harris Legacy Fund will be used for scholarships and to help MHEF recruit young people into hospitality careers through the ProStart® program. Marcia’s desire to help young people and improve the industry will continue to be a reality through her Legacy Fund.

Our goal is to raise $300,000. Your generous contribution of $500 and over will be permanently recognized at the RAM/MHEF Industry Headquarters entrance where a memorial to Marcia will be built.Contributions can be mailed to:

The Marcia S. Harris Legacy Fund
Maryland Hospitality Education Foundation
6301 Hillside Ct.
Columbia, MD  21046
or click here to donate online

Cards to the family with a favorite Marcia Harris story or adventure can be sent to:

Restaurant Association of Maryland
6301 Hillside Ct.
Columbia, MD  21046