She earned a bachelor's degree from the American University School of International Service in Washington, D.C.[3] In 1973 she co-founded the PR agency the E. Bruce Harrison Company.

While working with the company, which was sold in a merger deal in 1996, "she created and directed programs in the public interest comprising diverse stakeholder groups, including the National Environmental Development Association, a partnership of labor, agriculture and industry working for better environmental solutions together.

"[3] George H. W. Bush appointed Harrison to the President's Export Council in the United States Department of Commerce in 1990.

[3] Under Harrison's direction, the State Department initiated the CultureConnect program in which American celebrities including YoYo Ma, Denyce Graves, Doris Roberts and Frank McCourt acted as "cultural ambassadors" in trips to Pakistan, Russia, Israel, and other countries.

The report concluded that then-CPB chairman Kenneth Tomlinson "was strongly motivated by political considerations in filling the president/CEO position".