Lisa Garst was elected to serve Salem’s citizens in 2008, but as a small business owner, wife and mother, she was actively involved in the community long before being elected to City Council.
Lisa grew up in Covington and graduated from Staunton’s Mary Baldwin College with a degree in Political Science and an emphasis in Communications. Lisa has worked as a copywriter for the Belk Corporation, Marketing Director for the US Army Department of Morale, Welfare and Recreation, and Marketing Communications Manager for Ntelos.
Lisa and her husband Reid Garst II are co-owners of Sterling Engineering Solutions, an engineering sales and services firm based in Salem. Sterling works with municipalities, manufacturing centers and private facilities on water, waste water, telemetry, power generation and transmission projects.
Lisa and Reid have one daughter, Ashby. The Garsts also have a collie mix named Cookie and a yellow Labrador retriever named Mango. Lisa is active in her church, Salem Presbyterian, and in other community groups such as the Salem Garden Club, the Salem Rotary Club, and the PTA. She also participates in numerous professional organizations.
Lisa represents Salem on the Roanoke Valley Greenway Commission and the Virginia Municipal League’s Environmental Policy Committee. Lisa is the 2012 chair of the Partnership for a Livable Roanoke Valley. She also serves on the City of Salem’s Comprehensive Plan Committee, Salem Rotary Dog Park Committee and Economic Development Committee. |
