Leah Harrison has been named the Town of Garner’s new town engineer effective Tuesday, Jan. 3.
Harrison, who has over 10 years of professional civil engineering experience, joined the Town as assistant town engineer in 2019 and has served as the interim town engineer since October.
Her experience also includes service with the City of Fayetteville and the Bureau of Reclamation, a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Harrison has managed municipal and federal capital projects, administered floodplain and stormwater programs, and facilitated regulatory compliance and construction inspection functions.
She has been instrumental in the implementation of several new initiatives in the Town’s Engineering Department, including development of an Engineering Design Manual and implementation of new processes for capital project management and public right-of-way encroachments.
"As interim town engineer and during all of her tenure here, Ms. Harrison has done exceptionally well representing the Town both internally and externally," Town Manager Rodney Dickerson said. "That performance, combined with her professional training and previous experience, makes her a great choice to join our senior leadership team."
Harrison holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from California State University-Fullerton and a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of New Mexico.
She is also a registered professional engineer in the state of North Carolina and a certified floodplain manager.
“I am tremendously thankful and excited for the opportunity to lead the Engineering team for the Town of Garner,” Harrison said. “My passion for this town and its people, my work and my team drives me to do my very best every day. I am honored to continue my work with the Town of Garner and look forward to building a legacy here.”
Outside of her professional work, Harrison volunteers for several community organizations, including the Future City Competition and the Parent Teacher Association.
She serves on the Wake County Water Partnership board and is an active participant in the American Public Works Association.
For more information about the Town’s Engineering Department, please visit garnernc.gov/departments/engineering.