Helen Harkness

Helen Harkness was inducted into the inaugural College of Applied Human Sciences Hall of Fame in the fall of 2025. She was previously inducted into the College of Education and Human Services Hall of Fame in 2013.

A native of Cowen, W.Va., Harkness earned her bachelor’s degree in speech pathology and audiology from West Virginia University in 1950 and a master’s degree in English in 1953. She later completed a Ph.D. in adult and higher education from the University of North Texas in 1976.

Harkness built a wide-ranging career as a teacher, college professor, academic dean, and public school educator before becoming a nationally recognized consultant, speaker, researcher, and author in the emerging field of career design. She founded Career Design Associates, Inc., in Garland, Texas, and worked with more than 10,000 individuals through lectures, workshops, and one-on-one counseling to help adults reimagine meaningful and sustainable careers.

She published five books, including Best Jobs for the Future, The Career Chase, Don’t Stop the Career Clock, and Capitalizing on Career Chaos. Her writing and consulting challenged age-related stereotypes, and she remained an active business owner and speaker well into her 90s.

In her final years, Harkness turned her attention to education reform, founding a nonprofit to help students better understand themselves and design intentional, purpose-driven lives.

She passed away in 2021 at the age of 92.