Jane Harrison

About Council Member Jane Harrison

Jane Harrison is serving her second term on Raleigh City Council, representing District D. She was appointed to as the Mayor Pro Tem in December 2025. Council Member Harrison serves as Chair of the Growth and Natural Resources Committee and is a member of the Economic Development and Innovation Committee. Her priorities since first being elected in 2022 have been community engagement, affordable housing, and environmental stewardship.

Community Engagement: Council Member Harrison is community centered and recognizes the voices of the most affected groups, including historically marginalized communities and impacted neighbors. Before being elected to City Council, she served as co-chair of the West Raleigh CAC (Community Advocacy Council), bringing attention to proposed rezonings, land use changes, public safety, and neighbor needs in District D.  

Affordable Housing: She supports initiatives to help residents stay in their homes and investments to build new income-restricted housing. She advocates for community benefit agreements in new developments that provide affordable housing.  

Environmental Stewardship: Council Member Harrison takes the long view to care for our environment. She is committed to protecting our waterways and greenspaces. She prioritizes investments in natural amenities like Raleigh’s tree canopy and critical public transit infrastructure.  

Council Member Harrison is the coastal economics specialist with North Carolina Sea Grant, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) program based at NC State University focused on ocean, coastal and watershed resource management. She is a faculty member at NC State University in the College of Natural Resources and Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. She has a B.A. in international studies and a M.S. in environmental economics, both from The Ohio State University. Council Member Harrison earned her Ph.D. in natural resource management from Oregon State University.