About Esther

• Esther is a graduate of Asheville High School
• She is a mother of three and wife of a public school teacher
• Esther has worked with local governments for over 10 years
• Esther is a partner with an Asheville law firm
• She is president-elect of the Jewish Community Center of Asheville

Esther moved to Norwood Park in Asheville as a teenager in 1988. After graduating from Asheville High she went to college at the University of Colorado at Boulder. When she returned to Asheville, she became the volunteer coordinator for Meals on Wheels and met her future husband, Mark Harris. In the fall of 1994, Esther returned to school for a Masters in Public Administration and Law Degree, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

During school, Esther had an opportunity to work for the City of Asheville, drafting the cell tower ordinance. Esther also worked for a community development non-profit organization in Marshall, North Carolina. After law school, Esther and Mark married and Esther went to work for the North Carolina General Assembly. At the General Assembly, Esther served as an attorney to several legislative committees including a House Judiciary Committee, a House Local Government Committee, the House Public Utilities Committee, and the Senate Commerce Committee. Esther also served as an attorney to the House Legislative Redistricting and the Legislative Study Commission on the Future of Electric Service in North Carolina.

After their first son was born in 2001, Esther and Mark moved back to Asheville. Mark continued his teaching career with his alma mater, Enka High School, where he teaches and coaches today.

Esther began as an associate with The Van Winkle Law Firm in downtown Asheville, where she is now a partner. Esther practices law as a land use attorney and a real estate litigator.

She regularly appears before city councils, county commissioners, boards of adjustment, and historic resource commissions. Esther also has had occasion to represent local governments.

Esther has served on the Board of the Jewish Community Center of Asheville since 2004, serving as the President Elect in 2006 and the President in 2007. Esther is currently serving again as the President Elect. Esther also serves on the Asheville Board of Adjustment.

December 14, 2006 -Center president-elect Esther Manheimer lights the first candle on a 75-year-old menorah during a pre-Hanukkah celebration at the Asheville Jewish Community Center on Charlotte Street

In 2007, Esther was nominated by the Buncombe County Bar and Pisgah Legal Services for the North Carolina Bar Association’s William Thorp Pro Bono Services Award. Esther was also a 2009 Tribute to Women of Influence Award Nominee, presented by the YWCA of Asheville.

Esther and Mark live in North Asheville. They have three sons, Levi, Greyson and Asa, who attend Jones Elementary School and the Jewish Community Center of Asheville.