Prince George’s County, MD – The National Association of Counties (NACo) honored several North Carolina counties for outstanding programs and initiatives at its recent 2021 Annual Conference. New Hanover County was selected for a Best in Category Award in the County Administrative and Management category for its Process Improvement for the Health and Human Services Mailroom initiative. 

The initiative overhauled mail processing especially for time sensitive and confidential items such as Medicaid information, EBT cards, checks and other vital economic services information. The award-winning initiative, which focused on improving security, speeding up delivery, reducing processing time, and enhancing customer service, was a collaborative effort by New Hanover County’s strategy and health and human services teams. 

New Hanover County received a total of ten NACo Achievement Awards in various categories. Several other counties were also honored at the conference including Brunswick (two awards), Buncombe (three awards), Cabarrus (eight awards), Catawba, Durham (three awards), Mecklenburg (13 awards), Onslow, Pitt, Union (three awards), Wake (six awards), and Wilson (two awards) counties. Click here to access NACo’s searchable database to read about the winning programs.

During the conference, NACo’s 20121-2022 President Larry Johnson, DeKalb County, Georgia Commissioner announced the following NACo leadership appointments for North Carolina:

  • Kevin Austin, Yadkin County Commissioner, Vice Chair, Workforce Development Subcommittee, Community, Economic and Workforce Development Steering Committee
  • Kitty Barnes, Catawba County Commissioner, Vice Chair, Air Quality Subcommittee, Environment, Energy and Land Use Steering Committee
  • Katie Cashion, Guilford County Commissioner, Vice Chair, Arts and Culture Commissioner; and Vice Chair, Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee
  • Chris Coudriet, New Hanover County Manager, Vice Chair, Public Health and Healthy Communities Subcommittee, Health Steering Committee    
  • Dena Diorio, Mecklenburg County Manager, Vice Chair, Fiscal Policy and Pensions Subcommittee, Finance, Pensions and Intergovernmental Affairs Steering Committee
  • George Dunlap, Mecklenburg County Commissioner, Vice Chair, Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC) Steering Committee; and Vice Chair, Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee    
  • Viola Harris, Edgecombe County Commissioner, Vice Chair, Membership Standing Committee 
  • Brenda Howerton, Durham County Commissioner, Vice Chair, Public Health and Healthy Communities Subcommittee, Health Steering Committee; Vice Chair, Healthy Counties Advisory Board; and Vice Chair, Membership Standing Committee    
  • Sig Hutchinson, Wake County Commissioner, Vice Chair, Healthy Counties Advisory Board
  • Tracey Johnson, Washington County Commissioner, NCACC First Vice President, Vice Chair, Social Services Subcommittee, Human Services and Education Steering Committee 
  • Jason Jones, Guilford County Assistant Manager, Vice Chair, Juvenile Subcommittee, Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee
  • Tammy Lee, Bertie County Commissioner, Vice Chair, Juvenile Subcommittee, Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee
  • J. Glenn Osborne, Wilson County Social Services Director, Vice Chair, Social Services Subcommittee, Human Services and Education Steering Committee 
  • Mary Perkins-Williams, Pitt County Commissioner, Vice Chair, Social Services Subcommittee, Human Services and Education Steering Committee    
  • Renee Price, Orange County Commissioner, Chair, Arts and Culture Commission; and Vice Chair, Courts and Corrections Subcommittee, Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee
  • James Shores, Davidson County Commissioner, Vice Chair, Law Enforcement Subcommittee, Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee           
  • Anthony Trotman, Deputy County Manager & Consolidated Human Services Agency Director, Mecklenburg County, Vice Chair, Community, Economic and Workforce Development Steering Committee
  • Randy Thompson, Brunswick County Commissioner, Vice Chair, Homeland Security Subcommittee, Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee
  • Gloria Whisenhunt, Forsyth County Commissioner, Vice Chair, Long-Term Care Subcommittee, Health Steering Committee
  • Robert Zapple, New Hanover County Commissioner, Vice Chair, Land Use Subcommittee, Environment, Energy and Land Use Steering Committee           

The conference featured Kevin Leonard, Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC), who participated in a panel discussion to explore various state agreements on the use of national opioid settlement funds. This week, a $26 billion national opioid settlement was announced involving Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen – the nation’s three major pharmaceutical distributors – and Johnson & Johnson, which manufactured and marketed opioids. NCACC is a recognized leader among statewide county associations for its collaboration with Attorney General, Josh Stein to ensure opioid settlement funds coming into North Carolina get to people in need quickly and effectively. So far, 53 local governments in North Carolina have approved a statewide plan, known as the NC MOA, to directly allocate opioid settlement funds to communities on the front lines of the epidemic. 

The conference also included a North Carolina caucus event, during which Tammy Lee, Bertie County Commissioner was elected to the NACo Board of Directors. Commissioner Lee joins Gloria Whisenhunt, Forsyth County Commissioner, who also serves on the Board.  

Also, during the conference, county leaders attended workshops, education sessions and engaged in networking to share best practices and discuss common challenges. Attendees also participated in steering committee meetings and official business session meetings to shape federal priorities for the organization and elect its leaders. Participants explored various topics including COVID-19 best practices, American Rescue Plan Act implementation and pandemic recovery, cybersecurity, workforce development, behavioral health and justice and other issues important to counties across the country.

Notable speakers included Vice President Kamala Harris and other high-level Administration officials, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and John Ondrasik, singer-songwriter, Five for Fighting.

Over 100 officials representing North Carolina counties attended the 2021 NACo Annual Conference and Exposition, held July 9-12, 2021 in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  NACo is a national advocacy and leadership organization representing the common interests of 3,069 counties, boroughs, parishes throughout the country.  

The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) is a non-partisan organization, which represents the official voice of all 100 counties on issues considered by the General Assembly, Congress, and federal and state agencies. The Association provides expertise to counties in the areas of advocacy, research, risk management and education and leadership training.

The National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo assists America’s 3,069 counties in pursuing excellence in public service to produce healthy, vibrant, safe and resilient counties. NACo promotes sound public policies, fosters county solutions and innovation, promotes intergovernmental and public-private collaboration and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money.

###