Maggie Harris has worked at Barton Community College for over 12 years but is fairly new to her role as its chief communications officer, a job she stepped into last September.

Born and raised in Dodge City, she attended Sacred Heart Catholic School, Dodge City High school and Dodge City Community College before attending Washburn University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mass media and public relations.

“I was recruited to a position in the Admissions Office at Barton Community College as an admissions representative and fell in love with the community at Barton College and the Barton County area,” she said.

When she worked in Admissions, Harris traveled to high schools across the state, meeting prospective college students in their home environment. Two years ago, she moved from Admissions to the Communications Office and started coming to Great Bend Chamber of Commerce coffees, becoming more familiar with that segment of the community than she had in her first 10 years here. For the past year, she has been a member of the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Club.

She is also a parishioner at Prince of Peace Catholic Church.

Maggie and her husband Cody Harris met at a wedding. They have three children, ages 14 years, 6 years and 18 months old. Cody is the director of Planned Giving and Community Support at Sunflower Diversified Services Inc.

Her hobbies are “spending time with my family, reading, and photography, although my guilty pleasure hobby is TikTok,” she said.

Asked if she makes content for TikTok or watches cat videos, Harris said neither.

“I lurk behind the screen.” Most recently, she found useful tourism information on TikTok before taking a trip to Disney World. “It was great for research,” she said of the social media site.

Although Maggie and Cody have three children, her trip to Florida was an “adults only” trek with Disney as a bonus destination. She said they’ll probably take the kids to Disney World in a few years but recommends it for grown-ups who can go on their own.

Loving Great Bend

Harris said she loves living in Barton County.

“The sense of community in Great Bend is what makes it the perfect place for me and my family,” she said. “For someone that did not grow up in the area, the friendly atmosphere is welcoming, and you generally get a sense that people are happy to see you walk into a room. I like the ‘small’ town feel without it being too small and still having activities for my family and other ways to get involved.

“Most recently, the revitalization of downtown has made Great Bend a place for the community and friends to gather and celebrate what we have right in our own backyard. I am grateful to be a part of this community and to be a part of some of the changes that are happening to be a great destination.” 

Community Connections is a regular feature of the Great Bend Tribune, showcasing people who live in the Golden Belt. We welcome readers to submit names of individuals who are active in the community that they would like to see featured in a future story. Send suggestions to news@gbtribune.comand explain their “community connections.”