Born on Christmas Day in 1964, Devon Harris was raised in a violent ghetto environment in Kingston, Jamaica. The greatest gift he ever received was the belief that a positive attitude and a never-say-die philosophy would carry him farther than a sense of injustice and a heart filled with anger.

A graduate of the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England, Harris received a Queen’s Commission in December 1985 and served in the officer corps of the Jamaica Defence Force until December 1992, when he retired as a Captain. Encouraged by his commanding officer, Devon tried out for and was selected to the first Jamaican bobsled team which competed in the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada. Their exploits inspired the Disney blockbuster movie Cool Runnings. Harris also competed in and was captain of the bobsled team during the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France and the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan.

Harris founded the Keep on Pushing Foundation in 2006 to support and enhance the education of kids in disadvantaged communities around the globe. Through the Keep on Pushing Foundation, Devon also works with Right to Play as an athlete ambassador, supporting Right to Play’s efforts in using sports and play in refugee camps around the world to enhance child development and build community capacity. He also devotes his time to visiting troops serving in the Persian Gulf.

Harris is the author of the motivational children’s book Yes, I Can! and the semi-autobiographical motivational book Keep On Pushing: Hot Lesson From Cool Runnings.