For Terrence Harris, Black History Month is connected to community.
Black History Month means many things to many different people. For Terrence Harris, a senior vice president and director of corporate retail sales at Commerce Bank, it makes him think about progress.
“When Black History Month comes around each year, I find myself reflecting on where we are and how far we’ve come,” Harris says. “It also leads me to reflect on areas where maybe we haven’t made as much progress.”
“The great thing about Black History Month is that it encourages healthy dialogue around the issues of the past and of today. It gives us all an opportunity to have some perspective on Black history as a part of overall history. When we all acknowledge each other’s contributions, it strengthens our shared story.”
Harris, who has been with Commerce for nearly a decade, is not one to leave progress to others. He’s been deeply involved in the bank’s efforts to make financial products and services accessible and affordable to all, so they can better meet their needs and feel like they belong. These inclusion efforts help Commerce better serve its customers and communities throughout the region.
Helping people is important to Harris as well, as evidenced by the role he played in establishing a position at the bank — community outreach and banking officer. “We wanted to do more to help people learn about personal finance and banking,” he explains. “Our community outreach and banking officers help lead and coordinate financial education sessions in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas, and we’ve done a little work expanding those efforts into other markets as well.”
Harris adds that these programs help people in underserved communities feel more comfortable walking into a bank branch and opening an account. “When you hear feedback from people who attended one of these sessions and said it was great for them, and they talked to their child about it and now they both have growing savings accounts open, that lets us know we’re on the right path,” he says. “It’s meaningful work that we do to make a difference in people’s lives.”
In addition to overseeing the community outreach and banking officers, Harris’ role focuses on leading sales teams that work with local businesses. He appreciates that his work with Commerce helps organizations meet their goals. “Even prior to joining the bank, I recognized that Commerce does things the right way,” he says.
“There are so many great people here, and the culture is so strong. I knew right away it would be a good fit for me when I joined Commerce, and that’s still true today.”
Teri Aragon, senior manager, learning and workforce strategy at Commerce, has known Harris since they worked at another bank together. She says she has always enjoyed working alongside him. “Terrence is such a great person to know,” Aragon adds. “He’s always extremely thoughtful and is there to help people. If you come to him with a question or a problem, he’s going to give you a well-thought-out response. He’s a great big-picture thinker.”
Aragon notes that a desire to help others is a consistent thread that runs through everything Harris does. “It carries over to his personal life as well,” she says. “He’s been involved in coaching youth basketball for a long time, because he wants to help coach kids to be good people, not just good basketball players.”
Harris says he originally started coaching when his son played basketball in grade school and high school. His son is 20 now and out of high school, but Harris continues to coach kids of all ages. “If I’m not working or at home with my family, I’m probably in the gym coaching,” he says. “I’ve coached for club teams in the St. Louis area for many years. I view it as bigger than just a sport. I’ve done private mentoring, helping kids with life lessons that are bigger than basketball.”
When Harris himself was in high school, he considered baseball to be his primary sport. “I wasn’t very good at basketball as a freshman, but I gave it a try,” he says. “Between my freshman and junior years, I shot up four inches to 6-foot-8, and I got really good at basketball thanks to some coaches who cared enough to support and develop me. I ended up getting a basketball scholarship at Eastern Kentucky University. That’s where my passion for coaching comes from — I want to be the mentor and leader that others were for me. It’s my way of giving back through the sport of basketball.”
Giving back is what also makes Harris excited about his daily work at Commerce. “As bankers, we have the opportunity to create a positive impact for our customers as they navigate their financial journeys,” he says. “Bankers are equipped to really do meaningful work, and that excites me each day.”
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One of the ways Commerce Bank brings core value to life is through the financial literacy work we do in the community — such as the ongoing program we offer to young adults at the Drumm Farm Center for Children in Independence, Mo.
