Kimberly Harrington

Director Public of Relations, Livingstone College, Salisbury, NC

Native of Lilesville, NC

Industry: Higher Education

Kimberly Harrington calls her career as Director of Public Relations at Livingstone College “a full circle moment” for her. Her first association with Livingstone was driving with her mom from Lilesville to drop off and pick up her sister on weekends. Her sister, Sarah Harrington Ford, who resides in East Spencer, attended Livingstone. “She graduated and never left,” Kimberly says. 

Kimberly has been working at Livingstone for five years, commuting 90 minutes one way from Lilesville in Anson County, where she is caregiver for her 90-year-old mother, Sarah Harrington. Soon, they will move to Rowan, Kimberly says. Long before her Livingstone career, she was familiar with Salisbury.

“My respect for the community is based on the Salisbury Post and the City of Salisbury’s Main Street Program,” she says. A reporter for 13 years before going into public relations, Kimberly admired the journalism of The Post, and she saw Salisbury’s Main Street Program as a model for other towns. 

“I like the small-town charm of Salisbury yet the closeness to the metropolis of Charlotte,” she says. She ended her journalism career as an editor for the Pageland Progressive Journal and columnist for the Charlotte Post. 

She appreciates the leadership of Salisbury-Rowan and the collaboration among entities. “Rowan County is giving its best authentic efforts to rise above any negative perceptions of its past, proving that it is a county looking forward and embracing diversity,” she says. 

Rowan County is unique in being home to four institutes of higher education, she says, especially since Livingstone is an HBCU — Historic Black College or University. “Renewed attention and suppor were given to HBCUs in light of the George Floyd incident,” she says. “Having an HBCU is an added value for Rowan County.”

She earned her degree in Mass Communications and Spanish from Winston-Salem State University and worked as a reporter/editor in Wadesboro, Rockingham and Monroe, NC, and in Cheraw and Pageland, S.C. She works with the non-profit, HOLLA! (Helping Our Loved Ones Learn and Achieve) in Anson County and is renewing her membership in the National Association of University Women. She previously served with Richmond County Communities in Schools, the United Way, and the Richmond County Celebration Foundation Committee. She has visited Africa three times and supports a child in Liberia that she hopes to adopt soon. 

Her busy life fits well with Rowan County’s slogan, Be an Original.™ To Kimberly, being an original means “charting your own puposeful path rather than following others; and being a trendsetter by using your unique God-given talents and skills.” One of her favorite quotes is, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken,” by Oscar Wilde.

For newcomers to Rowan County, she says that they will get a good feel for the area by taking a walk in downtown Salisbury and visiting shops and restaurants.

Her favorite restaurant here is The Smoke Pit. “I like pork but try to avoid it. They make pulled chicken that tastes like pulled pork,” she says.

Dan Nicholas Park, which attracts 700,000 visitors per year, is her favorite outdoor space. It holds sentimental value to her since her sister hosts family events at the park. “It’s a family staple,” she says. “I’m the youngest of eight children.”

Livingstone’s homecoming is her favorite event. “HBCU homecomings in general are a culture in themselves,” she says. “The campus comes alive with alumni and friends from all over. Everyone is happy. It’s like a large family reunion. It’s also an opportunity to market the campus and any new programs. It’s a ‘show and tell’ and family reunion all in one.”