OGDEN, Utah-Tuesday, Weber State hired a new women’s basketball coach in Velaida Harris. She is the sixth head coach in program history.

Harris makes Utah sports history as she is the first African-American women’s head coach in any Division I sport in the Beehive State.

Harris brings more than 25 years of coaching experience to this position, including nine seasons coaching at the Division I collegiate level, including six years in the state of Utah.

Last season, Harris was in Kingston, R.I., serving as an assistant coach for the Rhode Island Rams of the Atlantic 10 conference.

Before serving on the Rhode Island staff, Harris spent six years on the University of Utah’s staff from 2009-2015. She began her career with the Utes as the head of basketball operations under then-head coach Elaine Elliott.

She then earned a promotion as an assistant coach and then had the added responsibility of recruiting coordinator under head coach Anthony Levrets.

While serving as an assistant with the Utes, the program made the postseason on four occasions and she coached 11 all-conference selections and 26 all-conference performers during her time at Salt Lake City.

Harris also spent time as an assistant at Oregon and while she coached for both the Utes and Ducks, each program had an 100 percent graduation rate.

Harris has also coached two WNBA players, a pair of Olympians and 16 players who went on to professional careers overseas.

Prior to joining the collegiate ranks, Harris spent a season as the head coach of the Portland Chinooks of the Men’s International Basketball League.

She also spent three seasons as the girl’s head basketball coach at Lake Oswego (Ore.) High School where she led the Lakers to an overall record of 40-15 and a pair of berths in the Oregon High School state playoffs.

Harris formerly played for Portland State (1989-1993) as a collegian and also graduated from the institution with a degree in Liberal Studies and a minor in English.

She and her husband, Jerry, have been married for 23 years and have three children, Christaen, Gabrielle and Sierra.