Sandra L Harris

Sandra Lee Harris passed away peacefully on June 1, 2026.

The second child of William Wolf Harris and Felice Harris, Sandra was born in Seattle on April 15, 1942. With her beloved older brother, Jay, she grew up in Seattle, Baltimore and then in the Twin Cities. Always adventurous, Sandra joined the Civil Air Patrol as a teenager and learned to fly. Later she served as a Peace Corps consultant in Sierra Leone.

Sandra earned her BA at the University of Maryland and her PhD in clinical psychology at SUNY, Buffalo. She joined the faculty of Douglass College, Rutgers University in 1969. There she founded the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center—one of the first behavioral treatment centers for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the United States. As a scientist-practitioner and as an educator, she mentored a generation of students, psychologists, and teachers who became leaders in the field. All the while, Sandra devoted herself to research and teaching in the graduate program in clinical psychology at Rutgers, becoming the Dean of the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) in the early 1990s.

Sandra was a tremendous advocate both in her professional and personal life. She was a steadying support for those in need, an innovative thinker, a lover of puns and a loving constant source of unwavering goodness in the lives of all she knew.

Leaving behind cherished nieces, great-nieces and a great-nephew, three beloved godsons and much loved cousins, Sandra is survived by many dear friends, colleagues, and former students as well as by hundreds of families who were supported by her work and research.

A celebration of life will be announced shortly. Donations in her memory will be welcomed at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, Save the Children, or Planned Parenthood.