Knox County Tennesee

Mark Harmon was elected to Knox County Commission in August 2006.  He serves on the Intergovernmental Committee and the Board of Zoning Appeals.  His major concerns are: 1) improving support for our schools, and 2) curtailing the sprawl that hurts established communities.  Mark and his wife Becky live in North Hills and are active in the North Hills Area Association.  Mark also is a "big" in the Big Brothers / Big Sisters program, and is matched with a ten-year-old.  Mark also has volunteered time to Knoxville College; for four years he coached a speech and debate team there, and took the students to tournaments.

Mark Harmon is an associate professor in UT's School of Journalism and Electronic Media, College of Communication and Information.  He has won his college's honors for outstanding teaching and also for faculty research.  The International Radio and Television Society Foundation named him the 2004 Frank Stanton Fellow for distinguished contribution to electronic media education.  Mark served on UT's Faculty Senate and led the successful drive for non-smoking entrances to campus buildings.  Harmon also regularly has been a mentor in UT's McNair Scholars program; it matches talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds with UT professors for a summer research project.

 Mark Harmon has worked as a television news producer, newspaper columnist, and radio interview host in his varied career in both journalism and teaching.  Harmon earned a Ph.D. from Ohio University, M.S. from Syracuse, and B.A. from Penn State.