The driving force for Susan “Sue” Harrison in any career was keeping her community safe and the love she has for children. Being a mother of two herself but also working in different departments during her time in the police department, Harrison would see things differently, and her ultimate goal was to keep children safe. After someone approached her about the director of transportation job with Michigan City Area Schools, Harrison took it. She has been there ever since.
“Somebody came to me and thought I would be a good fit for this, and I thought it was a good time to retire,” Harrison said. “I retired from the police department and 12 years later in January, I’m still here.”
Originally from Ohio, Harrison moved to Michigan City during her fifth grade year and has been a resident ever since. When she graduated from Michigan City High School, Harrison knew that she wanted to work in some type of law enforcement. Initially wanting to go to the federal level, Harrison actually started her career as a rookie on the local police force. After working 24 years at the Michigan City Police Department, Harrison worked through the ranks and retired as a lieutenant. She wanted a change in scenery.
“I've always wanted to work with kids, so I took this job,” said Harrison. “I love this community. It's just me doing the best that I can as the director here to make sure that every child gets to school safely, and I get to work with the community, which is the best part.”
Since becoming the director of transportation, Harrison has implemented great changes to the Michigan City school system. She has started a program to bring awareness to the Stop-arm Laws, which prevent bus drivers from getting into accidents. She has also made sure that every school bus has LED lights and a camera on board for extra safety precautions.
“Anything I can do to make it better, I will. It's one of the reasons why we try to ensure safety. Safety is a huge thing for me,” Harrison said. “Continuing to improve things here and make things safer for the kids on the bus, I will continue to do that until I retire.”
Harrison has done a lot for the school system when it comes to transportation, and one of the biggest is her mission to make the school system greener. Harrison started this by securing grants to aid in funding. As of this year, the district has 28 propane buses, and she is trying to secure more grants to continue expansion.
“The propane buses are cleaner, safer, and better fuel wise: reducing emissions. We're becoming a green fleet.” said Harrison.
Harrison has done a lot of implementation for the better throughout the school system, but her passion isn’t just solely there. She thinks of her community as a whole. She was one of the founding board members to get PFLAG in Michigan City. She helped host the first Michigan City Pride Fest because she wanted to create a safe space for allies and members of the LGBTQ+ community, as it wasn’t like that for her growing up. She even volunteers her spare time to work at the local Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) to make sure things run smoothly.
“Our community is extremely diverse all the way around, and people don't realize all the good when they just look at the negatives,” said Harrison. “We have a great community, we've got a great school system, and I wouldn't be working for it if I didn't believe that. I will do anything to better this community. ”
Outside of working, volunteering, or making her community the best it can be, Harrison loves spending time with her wife and two children. She also enjoys anything to do with being outdoors such as: biking, softball, and she loves going to the beach.
To learn more about Michigan City Schools you can visit: https://www.mcas.k12.in.us/
To learn about Michigan City Pride you can visit: https://michigancitypride.com/