Featured Alumnus: Pete Harrison ’01
When Pete Harrison graduated from Avon Old Farms in 2001, he knew he had received the tools and knowledge to succeed as he matriculated to Holy Cross, but wasn’t exactly sure what he would do from there. Now, more than 20 years later, the better question would be, ‘What hasn’t he done?’
Born and raised in Avon, Harrison knew from an early age he wanted to be a Winged Beaver. “Growing up in town, I always played at the rink there. I remember going and watching the Whalers practice. Since I was five years old, I wanted to go to school and play hockey at AOF, and I was blessed to be able to.”
In Harrison’s four years at Avon, he did play hockey, but ended up getting involved in so much more. He played baseball, was involved in theatre productions, wrote for the Avon Record and the Hippocrene, and was a member of several clubs. A personal highlight for Harrison was an independent project he was given the freedom to pursue. Many alumni may remember the story of “Crazy Pierre” that long-time history teacher Chandra Narsipur used to tell students. Harrison produced an independent film about Pierre stylized after the Blair Witch Project. “We did a screening of my film in the Adams Theatre shortly before graduation. That was really fun.”
Mr. Narsipur would be happy to know that after graduating from Avon, Harrison studied history at the College of Holy Cross. His first step after receiving his undergraduate degree was to move to New York City where he began writing a novel while bartending on the side. In an unexpected turn of events, it was his experiences bartending that launched his entrepreneurial career.
Harrison explains that while working he was constantly being asked by patrons to charge their phones behind the bar. That was when he and a fellow bartending friend came up with the idea for a secure cell-phone charging kiosk. In 2010, they co-founded Brightbox. “With the $3,000 of life savings I had at the time we started this company. We ended up raising about $10 million in capital.” In just a few years, Harrison’s charging kiosks could be found in various private and public spaces in every major U.S. city and three international markets, with early corporate adoption by American Airlines, Disney, Marriott, and other Fortune 500 companies.
As Harrison continued to grow his company, he was simultaneously dealing with an issue that is unfortunately familiar to many: a no-fault eviction, which is a type of eviction where the landlord attempts to remove a tenant without any wrongdoing or fault on the part of the tenant. “That was a radicalizing experience. In going to the courthouse to defend myself I saw firsthand how unfair and rigged the system is.”
He started getting involved in tenant union efforts and eventually earned a master’s degree in urban planning from Columbia University. Working to address housing inequity became a passion, so much so that he joined the staff of multiple presidential campaigns to direct their plans to combat these issues. Harrison eventually ran for a spot in the U.S. House of Representatives himself in 2020, representing New York’s 12th congressional district. “I had little expectation of winning, but it was still an amazing experience.”
It was around this time that Harrison and his wife welcomed their son, Francis, and a new opportunity was presented that meant moving back to his home state of Connecticut. He accepted the role of director with Desegregate Connecticut, a coalition of nonprofits advocating for better local and state land use policies to make every community in Connecticut more prosperous, equitable, and sustainable. Much of his work involves advocacy and education related to affordable housing and sustainability issues.
One of DesegregateCT’s primary operations is to review and score the affordable housing plans that each municipality in the state was required to create through a law passed in 2017. Harrison and his team recently finished reviewing all of the municipalities in New London County, which revealed there is more work to be done. He disclosed that he was pleasantly surprised by how the town of Avon compared to other towns in the state. “Avon’s plan is above average. They’ve actually done more than I would’ve expected having grown up there.”
Harrison continues to pursue this type of work because he believes sensible and equitable land use is a convergence of several important issues, and is a way for the average person to really create change. “It feels very important to be doing this type of work. For an individual, getting involved in local planning and zoning efforts is a way to make a real, positive impact.”
Part of Harrison’s drive to create positive change came from his time at Avon. “I felt it was a privilege to go to Avon. I got so much out of that experience and made lifelong friends. I would certainly love to have that opportunity for my son in the future. Not everyone gets that opportunity, so I feel a responsibility to do what I can with it—my time at Avon gave me a feeling of responsibility to help others and make an impact.”
Now living in nearby Simsbury, and with a nephew who is currently a sophomore at Avon, Harrison plans to visit campus often in the coming years, and hopes to be able to watch his son attend as well. “I’ve already got him some Old Farms gear.”