Heather Harris, MLA’03, former administrative coordinator in the Wharton Real Estate department, died on June 15 after a battle with lung cancer. She was 73.

Ms. Harris was raised in Bridgewater, Connecticut and graduated from New Milford High School. She received a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College. In May 2003, she earned a Master of Liberal Arts with distinction from Penn’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies. 

In 1971, she joined the educational publishing division of J.B. Lippincott in Philadelphia. She worked at Wharton Marketing as a temporary employee in 2001, then returned to Wharton and worked in its real estate department in 2004. She became the department’s administrative coordinator two years later and retired in 2016. During her career, Ms. Harris used her skills in writing, editing, and planning in the fields of academia, advertising, commercial real estate, home furnishings, and pharmaceuticals.

She is survived by her sister, Cynthia; her niece, Hailey Harris MacDonald; a great-niece and a great-nephew; and many friends.