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Kathy Harrington At-Large

Kathy Harrington

​​Kathy Harrington joined the N.C. Board of Transportation in May 2023 and serves as an at-large member. 

A retired state senator, Harrington was the first female majority leader in the history of the North Carolina General Assembly. Serving six terms in the North Carolina Senate led to many legislative accomplishments. 

For more than eight years, she served as one of three co-chairs of the Senate Appropriations Base-Budget Committee. As a key budget writer during those years, state budgets were passed that were balanced, shored-up the state’s “rainy day” fund and included tax and spend provisions that resulted in strong economic growth for North Carolina.

As co-chair of the Senate’s Transportation Policy and Appropriations committees, one of Harrington’s most rewarding accomplishments was working with her House and Senate colleagues to pass the North Carolina Strategic Transportation Investments, or STI. 

The STI revolutionized the way transportation dollars are spent in North Carolina by using a data-driven process to determine how and where transportation monies are allocated. This results in providing the greatest impact while removing politics from the process.

Prior to her election to the State Senate, Harrington was a real estate broker. She remains active in her local community. 

Harrington is currently a partner with Byers, Harrington and Harrington LLC. She resides in Gastonia with her husband, Michael and has two grown daughters.


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Last updated Jun. 14, 2023