Harvey was born in New York City but raised in Hong Kong and Fujian for much of his early childhood. Therefore, in addition to English, he is proficient in Cantonese and has a basic grasp of Fujianese. Harvey is an avid plastic model hobbyist and enjoys spending time building and painting assorted miniatures for display. He received a combined B.A. and M.A.T. in History and Social Studies Education from Stony Brook University and a Master of Library Science from Queens College with a certification in Archives and Preservation of Cultural Materials.

Before joining MOCA, Harvey was an Archivist and Curator at Bayside Historical Society where he focused his work on digitization and development of both physical and online exhibitions, with the most notable exhibit being From the Archives: Bayside Yacht Club.