Leigh Harrison

Raised on a former tobacco farm in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Leigh received a B.A. from the College of William and Mary and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University.

Prior to joining Appalachian Voices in 2022, Leigh worked more than 10 years in advancement and communications — most recently in Charlottesville as director of development for one of the University of Virginia’s support foundations. He lived in Washington, D.C., for more than a decade before that, where he secured resources for the arts, capital projects, environmental sustainability and anti-racism initiatives at Washington National Cathedral and George Mason University.

He serves on the governing board of The Daily Poetry Association and lives with his wife, Carrie, and two children, Damien and Raiya, in a heavily wooded section of eastern Albemarle County.