NCACC Strategic Goals

In October 2005, Executive Director David F. Thompson formed five diverse teams of staff members to help implement each of the five goals identified during the NCACC's long-range planning and visioning initiative. Learn more about the teams and the projects they are leading to accomplish those goals below.

1. Inform and educate the public and the media about county government

Team name: First and Goal
Team members: Alisa Cobb, Donald Czysz, Todd McGee (team leader), Bill Miller, Trinh Ngo, Judy Stancil

Team 1 is continuing to recruit members to serve on the County Speaker’s Bureau. The goal is to get at least one volunteer in every county. Once that goal has been achieved, the team will share this list with the Civic Education Consortium, which will distribute it to the social studies curriculum directors at all the public high schools in North Carolina.

The team is also going to work with other staff members and the State Treasurer’s Office to produce the fiscal data summary booklets in the spring.

The team recently conducted a review of the State Fair Booth to examine areas that could be improved upon and came up with several recommendations for next year’s booth, including improving the layout of the booth and developing better coordination with county and staff volunteers.

News archive

• Game planning for ‘County Government 101’ (December 2005)

2. Strengthen county leadership and board development

Team name: Advocates 'R' Us
Team members: Anthony Allen, Scott Kauffman, Michelle Love, Patrice Roesler, Donna Walker, Sheila Williams

Team 2’s New Commissioner Mentor Program garnered positive feedback from district directors, who began making phone calls to newly elected commissioners in December. Mentors also attended the opening receptions at the Essentials of County Government schools sponsored by the Association and the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In addition, the team held several mentor luncheons throughout the state in February. Primarily social in nature, the luncheons provided mentors and new commissioners an opportunity to continue their relationship. The sessions also provided an avenue through which to introduce the new commissioners to the services provided by the Association. One goal of the mentoring program is help new commissioners become more aware of the services offered by the Association and to encourage them to become more involved in our legislative activities.

News archive

• Education takes top priority with strategic goals team (January 2006)

3. Redefine the role of counties and the state-county relationship by creating a partnership with the state

Team name: 3-Point Goal
Team members: Terry Chance, Penny Cummings, Nancy Johnson, Michael Kelly, Judy Rhyne, Rebecca Troutman (team leader)

In the first step to helping the next governor better understand county issues, the Association has reached out to the seven gubernatorial candidates and posed three questions for their consideration. The initiative is one piece of a plan to further counties' relationship with state government as the next governor, cabinet members and freshman legislators take office in January 2009.

News archive

• Gubernatorial candidates campaign for county support (February 2008)
• Keeping counties in mind on campaign trail (December 2007)
• 3-Point Goal shoots for redefined partnership (February 2006)

4. Enhance the ability of county officials to represent counties and the NCACC on local and statewide issues

Team name: Team Excel
Team members: Jim Blackburn, Robin Bradley, Michael Collard, Kathy DeMay, Catherine Franklin, Scott Horton, Jason King, Amy Kunkle (team leader)

Team 4 is working with the NCACC's legislative team to develop Board of County Commissioners agenda items and other materials for use by the Association's network of legislative liaisons during the 2008 legislative session. The goal of the program is to increase awareness of legislative issues among all commissioners, local media and the public. The educational effort will help generate press for county issues, and will help counties in future efforts to build local coalitions around those issues.

The team is also working with Tom Covington, former director of the General Assembly's Fiscal Research Division, on a hands-on workshop to be held Aug. 21 at the NCACC's 101st Annual Conference in Craven County. The pre-conference seminar will be offered through the Local Elected Leaders Academy at the School of Government. In addition, the team will play an integral part in County Assembly Day, scheduled for June 10, and the 2009 Legislative Goals Conference.

News archive

• Goals team building from the ground up (March 2006)

5. Facilitate regional and intergovernmental collaboration

Team name: Fab Force Five
Team members: Elizabeth Floyd, Glenn Girton, Paul Meyer (team leader), Lester Nixon, Chikita Powell, Ed Wooters

A major focus of Team 5's work in 2007 will be the Annual Conference. Team 5 has been given the task of taking the lead on the 2007 conference, meaning it will be responsible for developing the conference them, locating a keynote speaker to set the stage and designing a series of workshops on specific topics related to that theme.

After last August’s successful Urban Issues Forum on school construction, the team has also begun the planning for another forum, which will likely be held in April 2007.

News archive

• Goals team members participate in summit (May 2006)
• Goals team reaches across county, city lines (April 2006)