The Harrison Group is comprised of an impressive and diverse group of professionals that have experience in the public, non-profit and private sector.  We invite you to review our teams’ vast experiences and contact us so we can assist you with the right team member to meet your organization’s goals.  The Harrison Group was founded in 2024. 

Robert Harrison – President

Robert has a 30-year career in public service, with 28 years as a City Manager/Administrator in Washington, Wisconsin, and Ohio.  He has served on the ICMA Board as a the West Coast Vice-President from 2013 – 2016.  Robert served on the Board of the Local Government Hispanic network as the President-elect from 2013 to 2024. Robert previously served on the Board of the Ohio City/County Management Association Board, ending his tenure as president in 2009-2010.  He has worked in communities as small as 4,000 individuals to over 100,000 population.

Joanne Bisqueria, Senior Associate and Project Manager

Joanne is The Harrison Group’s project manager.  She brings 20 years of experience working in local government and with public entity risk pools. Her expertise is in public relations, leadership development, program development, and customer engagement.

John Traeger, Senior Associate

John is a business and information technology specialist.  John has worked in Information Technology leadership roles both in the private sector and public sectors.  For The Harrison Group, he advises on system integration, new technology evaluation and introduction, cyber security policy and audits, and system support functions.  John also conducts recruitments in the information technology space.

Raquel Alcala

Raquel has over 10 years of experience in marketing and community outreach working with cities, non-profits, and private companies in their marketing, branding, and outreach.  Raquel speaks and writes Spanish and is an expert in coordinating with Spanish media and conducting community outreach and focus groups. She has significant social experience and can assist you in your community communications campaigns.

Carl Cole, Senior Associate

After serving 27 years in the King County Sheriff’s Office, retiring at the rank of Chief of Police/Major, Carl Cole took the helm of the City of SeaTac as its Manager. Successfully navigating the pandemic, Carl positioned the city to increase services during the crisis, as well as making shrewd budget decisions that allowed the city to retain all full-time staff. SeaTac was one of the few cities that emerged from the pandemic with a larger Ending Fund Balance than with which it started.

Carl specializes in Leadership, Strategy, Planning, Organizational Efficiency, Motivation, and Outcome Focus. He is skilled in talent assessment, internal and background investigations, mediation, and brings objective, compassionate experience to complex, sometimes emotional personnel situations. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology (minor degrees in Biology and Religion) from Pacific Lutheran University (1990) and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the Evan’s School at the University of Washington (2002).

When not working, Carl loves to spend time with his wife, adult daughter, and four-year-old Lila the Labradoodle. He enjoys golf, hiking, and most other outdoor activities.