Mineola community leader Joel Harris was recently named Kiwanis International’s New York State governor.
Kiwanis International is a global community of clubs focused on improving the lives of children with over 555,000 members, according to its website.
Harris joined Kiwanis as Mineola’s County Seat in 2009 after a friend introduced him to the organization. Immediately he became the photographer and social media liaison before moving up to the public relations and branding coordinator for the New York district.
Harris and his wife Helene have been active in all of the club’s fund-raisers and service projects. The two are both Key Club Advisors with Kiwanis.
“Membership is at the forefront of my goals,” Harris said. “We must grow our organization to help keep us strong.” He is committed to maintaining New York as a “lighthouse” district.
Harris retired from the financial industry in 2013 after being an accountant for a major financial institution, specifically as an auditor for pension plans and administrator for its 401(k) plans.
Previous stops included working with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as the operations administrator and with the Town of North Hempstead as a photographer. Harris was an aide to the supervisor.
Harris spent 2021-2022 as the governor-elect before taking over for James Mancuso, of East Meadow, as governor.
Harris is also treasurer for the Nassau County Council of Chambers of Commerce, which promotes economic security and enhanced economic growth for the Nassau business community.
In his native Mineola, Harris is a past president of the Mineola Chamber of Commerce, a position he held from 2018 to 2022. He was named Mineola’s businessman of the year in 2017.
