A former Miss Maryland and spokeswoman for state agencies is the new special assistant to County Executive John R. Leopold, with her responsibilities including communications, media and policy, he announced yesterday.
Marina Harrison, 26, began her job Monday. She will represent Leopold in the community and produce the weekly TV show Anne Arundel County Week in Review on public access Channel 98. Her salary is $70,000.
A 1999 graduate of Meade High School, she served as the student member of the school board her senior year, and graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park. As a 23-year-old Maryland State Department of Education community outreach and communications specialist, Harrison was named Miss Maryland 2003 and became third runner-up in the Miss America pageant. She was also named Miss Maryland USA and competed in the Miss USA competition.
Her later professional government experience includes office support work for the foreign service office in the U.S. Department of State; she was also the spokeswoman for Maryland's secretary of state.
