“My certification has opened me up to people and places I wouldn’t have ever had before.”
— Dakeana Jones-Bishop, Founder of Human Resources Unleashed
From Vision to Execution: The Story of Harrison-Lee Development Consulting
Most leaders already know where they want to go. The hard part is getting there. For Cheryl Harrison-Lee, CEO of Harrison-Lee Development Consulting, that gap between vision and execution is exactly where her work begins.
Harrison-Lee Development Consulting provides strategic planning, leadership development, and facilitation for local governments, private corporations, nonprofits, and educational institutions. Cheryl brings more than 30 years of experience across city, county, and state government to every engagement.
The Problem They Solve
Organizations rarely struggle with ambition. They struggle with the how. Plans stall, priorities compete, and good intentions never translate into results.
Harrison-Lee Development Consulting bridges that gap. Through strategic plans, leadership development programs, board retreats, staff coaching, and organizational assessments, the firm helps clients turn big-picture goals into a clear, workable path forward.
At the center of it all is a belief Cheryl formed over three decades in public service: the most effective organizations are the ones that prioritize, empower, and train their people.
She Has Sat in the Seat
Many consultants arrive with a framework. Few have lived the client’s reality. Cheryl has been in the rooms where the decisions get made, and she knows exactly how it feels to sit on the other side of the table.
“I don’t just bring scholarly research and best practices. I bring three decades of experience of having been on the other side of the table.”
Her credentials back it up. Cheryl is a credentialed manager and a certified planner, and she has completed executive-level training through Harvard, including the Bloomberg program and the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program. Her strategic planning work has earned industry awards, a distinction she is quick to note came from others, not from her own marketing.
Results That Last
Cheryl leads with results, and her track record shows why.
In 2020, with the world at a standstill, she served as interim director of the Office of Recovery for the State of Kansas. In a matter of weeks, she built the framework and infrastructure, engaged the community, and pushed out $400 million of the state’s $1 billion in relief funds to help residents recover and reopen Kansas.
For the City of Kansas City, Missouri, her firm built an award-winning strategic plan for the voter-approved Central City Sales Tax. Starting from nothing, Harrison-Lee set priorities and created the framework that has since supported 58 approved projects and nearly $1 billion in development in historically disinvested neighborhoods.
Excellence Earned, Not Assumed
Cheryl grew up in South Carolina along the Corridor of Shame, a region whose school funding disparities reached the state Supreme Court. Few expected students from there to succeed. She went on to the C-suite.
Along the way, she was often the first in her role at the city, county, and state level. As an African American woman, she learned early that her expertise would not always be assumed. It had to be earned. That lesson still shapes how she operates: deliver more, document results, and lead with excellence.
On hard days, she draws strength from two sources. Her grandparents built something from nothing through grit and hard work. Her son is watching her lead with integrity.
“To whom much is given, much is required.”
Certified and Ready to Partner
Cheryl’s MBE certification has opened doors to projects she may not have reached otherwise, along with support from organizations across Kansas and Missouri. Though newly certified through Mountain Plains MSDC, she has already seen the value. Technical support from advisor Carolyn Terrell helped her navigate the SAM.gov process and federal certification requirements, guidance she says would have cost far more than her certification fee.
“When I needed help, I was very honest and said, ‘I’m at a standstill, and I really need help,’ and they came to the rescue.”
Next, Cheryl plans to grow her team and expand into workforce development with private corporations. She is especially interested in defense and in apprenticeship programs that prepare people for success in technical careers. She welcomes partnerships with fellow small and minority businesses, prime contractors seeking training partners on larger contracts, educational institutions, and firms delivering training at a national scale.
Her advice to other minority entrepreneurs: stay focused, pivot when you need to, lean on your network, and never be afraid to ask for help.
Ready to turn your organization’s vision into results? Reach out to Harrison Lee Development Consulting or connect with Cheryl Harrison-Lee, visit https://harrisonlee.net or reach out by phone at 913-585-4060 or send an email to cheryl@harrisonleedevelopmentconsulting.com.
