Drucilla “Dru” Harrison’s quick climb to director status is a success story. She began her career as an intern for the New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District and after completing her degree, was hired as a full-time employee of the district in 2005. In 2010, she was appointed as director. Reporting directly to the Board of Supervisors, Dru provides oversight of staff, serves as lead contact for land conservation and acquisition, provides technical support for designing and installing best management practices to improve water quality and reduce soil erosion, and manages environmental education.
While in her role as education coordinator, she helped establish several educational programs that the district still delivers today. Under her leadership, the district received county funding in 2016 to create four outdoor environmental learning centers (OELCs) at four New Hanover County Pre-K centers.
Dru is a 2004 graduate from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She received her Environmental Education training in 2007 from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, and has completed several other trainings, including the University of North Carolina Wilmington Leadership Academy. Dru has also served as an officer on several different committees including the Lower Cape Fear Stewardship Coalition, Wilmington Earth Day, Coastal Envirothon, Eagles Island Coalition, and the North Carolina District Employees Association. Dru was also selected as a finalist in the 2016 YWCA Women of Achievement Award.