The Quaker Valley Council of Governments is under new management.
Delegates unanimously voted on Feb. 18 to hire Michelle Harkins of Allison Park as its new executive director.
Former executive director Patrick Conners of Whitehall left Quaker Valley in early January for the same job with the South Hills Area Council of Governments.
The Quaker Valley COG has 17 member communities serving about 31,000 residents.
Verona Borough Manager Jason Dailey served as the Quaker Valley COG’s interim director and lead the executive director search through his business, Dailey Operation Consulting.
Harkins was selected out four candidates. She started on March 2.
She said she is excited to work with everyone and get the lay of the land.
Harkins moved back to Western Pennsylvania in the summer after living for 15 years in Billings, Mont.
She served as executive director for the Billings Industrial Revitalization District for nearly three years before moving and joining a Pittsburgh nonprofit.
“I really loved my job and working with communities and elected officials and just trying to help them get things accomplished,” Harkins said. “When I was approached about this job, I got really excited to get back into that sphere and be able to be involved and helpful like that again.”
Resume and background
Billings has about 120,000 residents. Harkins oversaw its tax increment finance funds and related efforts.
As BIRD’s executive director, Harkins collaborated with city leaders on a multitude of projects assuring efforts complied with city ordinances, planning and public infrastructure goals. She managed multi-million dollar budgets, capital improvement projects and helped work on zoning and code enforcement.
Harkins also worked to coordinate Renaissance fairs and mural festivals to bring arts and culture into her district.
She was recognized by Billings Chamber of Commerce as its Outstanding Person of the Year in 2024. The award is given to people who demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation and commitment to the local business community.
Harkins served as the Billings Leadership Foundation business director and chief financial officer prior to joining BIRD.
She developed strategic donor and partner relationships at the foundation, managed more than $3 million annual budget and oversaw more than $2 million in grant projects.
Other job experiences include procurement manager for Bridget Steel, assistant controller for Luminart Corp. and a tax accountant for Eide Bailly.
Her last position before joining the Quaker Valley COG was for a few months as interim executive director for Mobilify, a nonprofit whose mission is to assist communities in securing greater multimodal transportation choices, accessibility and economic opportunity across Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Harkins has a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Seton Hill University and a master’s of accountancy from the University of Montana.
She said she has acclimated a very particular set of skills acquired over a long career that should serve her well with the Quaker Valley COG.
They include project and grant management, leadership and supervision, technology and data literacy and community engagement.
“I’m used to keeping track of a lot of different things going on at one time,” said Harkins, 39.
Making the selection
Julie Barnes, Quaker Valley COG president and Sewickley Council vice president, said she reviewed multiple resumes and the hiring committee went through several interviews before recommending Harkins.
The hiring committee consisted of Barnes, Leetsdale Council President Maria Napolitano, Ben Avon Council President Rick Wagner, Edgeworth Borough Manager Ellen Politi and Bellevue Borough Manager Jim Kelly.
Napolitano, who also serves as QVCOG vice president, said Harkins was a very warm and personable communicator during the interview process. She was also impressed by the candidate’s qualifications and proficiency with QuickBooks.
“The position of the QVCOG director is unique in that it is an executive role for a solo employee,” Napolitano said via email March 4.
“The director is in constant communication with the board and advances their vision. Yet, the director also runs all operations within the organization. I believe that Michelle is a perfect fit for this role. I look forward to working with her.”
Barnes commended Dailey for his help in the screening process.
“Michelle emerged as a clear favorite,” Barnes said. Harkins’ financial and administrative experience were huge selling points, as were her intangibles, she said.
“There’s that public-facing part of the job where she’s going to be interacting with a lot of people in our community, not just people within the COG,” Barnes said. “We want to create a reputation and name for the COG outside of the QV area. She just has energy and enthusiasm. You can see she’s a very articulate speaker. That was also very appealing so she can be the face of our organization.”
Among the short-term goals will be getting a new joint garbage contract. The current contracted hauler is Waste Management. Its five-year contract expires at the end of this year. COG members will have the option to opt into the potential agreement. Some municipalities, like Leetsdale, collect their own trash.
Longer term goals include taking a close look at Route 65 and brainstorming some safety improvements.
Focus on listening
Harkins’ first order of business is getting to know the delegates and communities in the council of goverments.
“I think my first objective would just be listen and learn in the first few months,” she said. “Understand the things they find important about the COG; things that they wish our COG did that others might.”
She said Conners has helped with the transition and they know a lot of the same people and same agencies.
Harkins and her husband, Justin, have 8-year-old twins, Jack and Alice.
Some of the biggest changes she’s noticed since moving back to the area is how much Robinson, Cranberry and Pittsburgh areas have developed.
“The city, I feel, is in a really good spot,” Harkins said. “I’m so happy to be back. … We wanted to be able raise our kids around family, and this is where my family is. The only place I wanted to end up was Western Pennsylvania.”
Quaker Valley Council of Governments meetings are the third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Sewickley Public Library, 500 Thorn St.