Aaron Harber

Aaron Harber Speaker Biography

Aron Harber hosts “The Aaron Harber Show TM” (www.HarberTV.com and www.bit.ly/TVDemo) and “The Aaron Harber Show: Colorado Now TM” (www.Colorado-Now.com) --- seen on KCDO-TV (K3 Colorado --- Channel 3), COMCAST Entertainment Television (CET), KPXC-TV (ION Television. ION Media Networks), other cable and satellite channels, and the Web. Beginning next year, the program will be available to all 60 million COMCAST customers via its 24/7 free Video on Demand service. The program also will be available from other channels, networks, systems, and broadcasters so up to 250 million people will have access to it.

Aaron’s career in broadcasting began in 1992 when he served as the host of the "The WatchDog" -- a political issues, consumer affairs, and citizens' rights program on the Talk of the Rockies Network. In 1994, he became host of “Against The Rush” -- a humorous but cogent response to Rush Limbaugh. The show was produced by USA Talk Network and broadcast on 51 stations by the Talk America Radio Network. Aaron gained national recognition when he was sued frivolously for $20 million by Limbaugh, et al, for using the word “Rush” in the title of his show. With broad-based support across the entire political spectrum, Aaron won the First Amendment case in Federal Court when Limbaugh was forced to dismiss his own case.

The talk inustry’s leading publication -- “TALKERS MAGAZINE” -- selected Aaron out of 5,000 hosts across the country as one of America’s 100 “Most Important Talk Show Hosts In 1997" (along with such luminaries as Don Imus, Gordon Liddy, Rush Limbaugh, Laura Schlesinger, Howard Stern, and Bruce Williams).  In 1997, he moved from Talk Radio exclusively into the television arena, beginning as a guest host, then becoming a co-host two years later, and eventually having his own program (titled “Spontaneous Combustion”) on Public Television.

From 2002 to 2009, Aaron served as the host of “The Aaron Harber Show” on KBDI-TV Channel 12 (Colorado Public Television)-- a meticulous look at the issues of the day --- and its “Capitol Report” special editions. He also has developed the concept for “Blind Justice” --- a critical examination of America’s Legal System --- which is expected to be in development for some time due to his other commitments. From 1998 to 2009, Aaron served as the on-camera Political Analyst for CW2 of the CW Network (previously Tribune Broadcasting station KWGN/WB2 – including when it was part of the Warner Brothers Network).

In 2000, Aaron hosted the groundbreaking nonpartisan campaign series, “Election 2000" which was broadcast on over-the-air television (Colorado Public Television KBDI/TV-12) as well as on the Web, thanks to funding from the John S. and James L Knight Foundation and a partnership with The Denver Post. Two years later, he hosted the nonpartisan “Election 2002” series on Colorado Public Television as a demonstration of how to promote unbiased election information broadcasts and to provide citizens with extensive candidate access and election coverage.

He served as a host on “Colorado Decides 2004” when it became a joint venture of Channel 4/KCNC-TV (CBS-4), KBDI-TV Channel 12, and the Rocky Mountain News. For “Colorado Decides 2006” he served as the host/moderator and/or the primary questioner for all 21 programs in 2006 -- including “live” call-in television shows.  He reprised his role for “Colorado Decides 2008” and also served as the key on-air political commentator for a special live nightly series at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, held in Denver.  During the Convention, Aaron was the on-air commentator for 2½ hours every night of the Convention along with the CBS4 lead anchor team.

In 2008, Aaron also hosted the nation’s first extensive, long-form series on any race at the federal level.  Titled, “The Senate In Balance TM,” Aaron hosted 22 special half-hour programs (www.SenateCO.com) providing citizens with an in-depth look at the contest between Democratic U.S. Representative Mark Udall and Republican former U.S. Representative Bob Schaffer.  Other participants and supporters of the project included the retiring incumbent U.S. Senator Wayne Allard (R) and Colorado’s other incumbent U.S. Senator, Ken Salazar (D), as well as all of Colorado’s living previous U.S. Senators --- Bill Armstrong (R), Hank Brown (R), Ben Campbell (R), Gary Hart (D), and Tim Wirth (D).  The initiative received many accolades as did Aaron for his impartial work.

Aaron left Colorado Public Television in 2009 after receiving an offer to have his program originate from commercial station KCDO-TV (K3 Colorado Channel 3) which also allowed his programs to be carried on a variety of channels, stations, and networks.

In addition to his regular program, Aaron became the host and moderator for the 48-program series entitled, “Colorado Election 2010TM” (www.Colorado2010.com) which provided more election programming on federal and state races than any other program known to be broadcast over-the-air in American history. He also created the innovative experimental Print Publication Advantage Program as a way to assist newspapers by using television to attract readers, subscribers, and advertisers to print publications. The Print Publication Advantage Program was a pilot effort structured to allow newspapers to use television to become more competitive with all forms of media.

Due to the national and international focus of his program, “The Aaron Harber Show,” in 2010 Aaron also was named the host of a new KCDO-TV (K3 Colorado Channel 3) series, titled “The Aaron Harber Show: Colorado Now,” which had a focus on Colorado opinion leaders, events, and organizations.

Aaron also is a columnist for the State’s major political publication, “The Colorado Statesman,” as well as The Denver Daily News. His writings also are available on the television program’s Website -- www.HarberTV.com as well as at The Huffington Post ( www.HuffingtonPost.com/aaron-harber). His columns have been distributed by numerous publications, including The Washington Post online.

Although it is true the highlight of Aaron’s life was being a Bat Boy for the Chicago White Sox at age 15 (he was a winner in a Chicago newspaper essay-writing contest), it hasn't been completely downhill from there.  Aaron began his business career days after being graduated from college, when he started the Colorado Accounting & Tax Service with $1,500 he had saved from college jobs he performed while working his way through school. 

Since then he has been involved in numerous businesses ranging from survey research to high technology (where he organized software companies) to venture capital to Talk Radio to movie and television production, among others.  An environmentalist and an equal rights advocate, Aaron also is a strong pro-business, free-market proponent. 

Unlike many other talk show hosts who give opinions about subjects they know little about, Aaron has extraordinary firsthand experience and knowledge about business, government, education, politics, the Law, entertainment, Media, and the Press.  His media activities are widely recognized for their consistent fairness, accessibility, and nonpartisan nature.

As co-founder and chairman in the early 1990’s of the Women's Equity Fund, an experimental venture capital firm helping women and men start new businesses and expand existing ones, Aaron promoted the concept of changing the access women had to business capital. 

He was the chairman of Centre Entertainment, Inc. -- a video and film production and distribution company (“A Norman Rockwell Christmas” and “Legend Of The Spirit Dog”).  He served as president of Wild Horse Productions, Inc. -- a company originally formed to develop the feature film, “Wild Horses,” for Animal Planet and Discovery Communications, Inc. for which a complete script received final approval.

Aaron pioneered the vision for the Golden Run community in Erie, Colorado, as an example of a truly sustainable, zero net energy, zero net waste community using modified New Urbanism techniques and imaginatively designed to create a walkable, economically sustainable, environmentally-friendly multi-generational neighborhood.  Golden Run’s design focuses on the needs of mature adults, senior citizens in their later years, young families, the disabled, and people requiring special care levels.  The concept is to create a community where people can live, work, play, recreate, shop, and enjoy life -- all in an ecologically sound manner. Golden Run remains only a concept and will continue to be refined in the coming years.

Aaron also was a co-founder and served as president and chairman of Silicon Valley software company TeamOne Systems (in the Apollo, Digital, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Sun Microsystems markets) which tackled the national need to automate the writing of computer software.  He also was elected as chairman of the innovative fiber-optic large-display company Mall TV, Inc. and  he served as chairman of one of the nation’s first retail Virtual Reality companies, V-Space, Inc.

For over three decades, Aaron has served as president of American Research Corporation, where his work included strategic planning, research, business advisory services, organizational consulting, public opinion polling, and computer software.  He has managed software development projects, served private and public sector clients domestically and internationally, and participated in state and federal government projects. 

A sample of his past customers include Bank of America, Motorola Corporation, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Atari, Inc., Memorex, SPRINT, Case Western Reserve, Environment Canada, Rockwell International, Knight-Ridder’s VIEWDATA Corporation, Unisys, Public Service Company, Hughes Aircraft, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration, Tandem Computers, and Security Pacific National Bank. 

Aaron also was elected to as a member of the Board of Trustees of Princeton University.  He served as a member of Princeton’s Department of Civil & Geological Engineering’s Advisory Committee as well as on numerous other committees (including the University’s primary fundraising and resource committee).

Aaron worked internationally after being elected Vice-President and then President of the 3,000-member International Tandem [Computers] Users' Group, and helped lead the group to its independence as an autonomous and self-sufficient organization. 

While registered as an Investment Adviser with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, Aaron extensively donated his financial and tax advisory services to men and women starting businesses as well as to charitable organizations on a pro bono basis.  He continues to assist many groups today as a volunteer.

Aaron's community involvement also has included doing fundraising for the University of Colorado, serving as the first president and chairman of the Nancy Spanier Dance Theatre of Colorado, working as a Volunteer Probation Counselor for the City and County Courts of Denver, and serving on the board of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Aaron was co-director of the Chicano Film Project, which produced the film, "Los Inmigrantes."  He has worked as a volunteer for ECO-CYCLE and as a Relief House Parent for Attention Homes (an alternative to jail for young offenders).  Over three decades ago, he was the first (and then only) male ever elected to the Board of Directors of the Boulder County Women's Resource Center and for decades has been a strong proponent of equal rights for women.  He also has served as the moderator and the facilitator of numerous panels and as a keynote speaker.

Aaron was elected Secretary of the Colorado Democratic Party in 1983.  He was elected as a Presidential Delegate to the 1984 National Convention in San Francisco and also was elected to the Convention’s original National Credentials Committee.  He was a candidate for Secretary of State in 1982 and later won his party's nomination in 1990. 

In both 1996 and 2000, Aaron won election in a statewide party race to represent Colorado in the Electoral College.  In addition to his 1984 delegate win, he similarly was elected as a Presidential Delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in Chicago (1996) and Los Angeles (2000). 

Aaron has served as parliamentarian and secretary of numerous political assemblies and conventions, at the county, congressional, and state level.  He was elected as chair of State Senate District 17 and as Vice Chair of House District 31, and has held many other elected party positions --- ranging from Precinct Committeeperson to Caucus Chair and Secretary to County, Congressional, State, and National delegate. 

Aaron has held no partisan position since 2000 due to his work in the Media.  He remains committed to continue to be seen as an objective, independent, nonpartisan member of the Press.

Aaron is known for his fairness and the equal access he has provided Republicans and Democrats to all his radio and TV shows -- including his exclusive broadcasts from the 1996 Republican National Convention.  He has broadcast his show “live” from places as disparate as the Democratic Leadership Council to the White House Press Room to the conservative Heritage Foundation. 

Aaron’s political views include elements from both major parties and from some minority parties.  His philosophy is to consider as many views as possible and come to rational, thoughtful positions not bound by any particular partisan, “blind-faith” ideology.  He believes in offering people a “helping hand” and assisting them in becoming independent -- not dependent.

A staunch supporter of the concept of public disclosure, “sunshine” laws, and Open Records Acts, Aaron fought a precedent-setting battle against the State of Colorado in 1982 in which the Secretary of State ultimately was required to release public information in its most usable form (i.e., electronic).  A decade later, in 1993, he won a case against another government entity (the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District) -- which had tried to use the law and the cost of litigation to hide important public information from citizens and the Press.  And in 1994, at the request of the Sierra Club, he agreed to intervene in a case against the NCWCD filed by the Sierra Club by formally supporting the Club’s position in a joint filing. 

Colorado Governor Roy Romer appointed Aaron to the Colorado Department of Law's Collection Agency Board (“CAB”) in the Office of the Attorney General in 1988.  Aaron served there under both Democratic and Republican Attorneys General and promoted improvements on behalf of consumers.  He was elected in 1989 as the first public member ever to serve as chairman of the CAB.  In 1990, he was appointed by the Governor to serve as a business representative on the State's Complete Count Committee for the 1990 U.S. Census. 

Aaron has chaired numerous domestic and international events and is known as an excellent public speaker, moderator, and facilitator.  He mediates crises and advises numerous organizations pro bono.  His favorite activity is problem-solving in a “win/win” mode. 

Aaron has served as a member of the national board of the Prostate Cancer Education Council.  His greatest contribution to helping fight cancer was his directorial debut in 2006 when he directed General Colin Powell in the production of four nationally-broadcast television Public Service Announcements encouraging men to get tested for cancer.  Aaron also served on the Accountability Committee for his daughter’s public school, Peak to Peak K-12 Charter School, helped with fundraising, and worked in the school’s cafeteria as a volunteer helping to serve lunch to students. He also helped with fundraising and was a volunteer who helped serve lunch at his daughter’s elementary school for many years.

He currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Ohio Center for Broadcasting and donates his time to charitable organizations to help them with organizational planning and fundraising.

Aaron was graduated first in his class from Fairview High School in Boulder, Colorado, where he gave the valedictory address at the school’s commencement, held at Macky Auditorium at the University of Colorado. Aaron received his undergraduate degree (A.B.) from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs (concentrating in Economics). At Princeton, Aaron became the first person in the then 220-year history of the University to win the two awards for being the person who did the most for his class and who did the most for the entire University during his four years in attendanc.e . For these accomplishments, he received the W. Sanderson Detwiler Prize and the Class of 1901 Medal.

Aaron received a master's degree in public administration (M.P.A.) from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government (concentrating in Ethics in business, government, and politics), where he also examined campaign finance laws and election practices in all 50 states.

Aaron’s primary role in life is raising his daughter -- whose unending homework questions kept him very buys for many years.  His hobbies are running (OK, he’s not very fast but he keeps going), basketball (his height helps), tennis (he’s not very good but he can play), and eating (he’s very good at that).  He also cares for multiple pets (including dogs from Guide Dogs for the Blind) while living on and managing a 320-acre Colorado farm located between Lafayette and Erie --- all for more than two decades.