WAKE COUNTY, N.C. – The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) is pleased to announce that Joe Stanton will join the Association’s Disaster Recovery Technical Assistance (TA) team in a part-time role following his retirement from state government after a career spanning decades. Throughout the course of his distinguished career, Stanton provided recovery support to North Carolina counties following every major storm, from Hurricane Isabel in 2003 through Tropical Storm Chantal in 2025.Â
Stanton will retire at the end of February from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management (NCEM), where he currently serves as assistant director for recovery. He is expected to begin working with NCACC in spring 2026.
“Joe brings decades of hands-on disaster recovery experience that will be an incredible asset to North Carolina’s counties,” said NCACC Executive Director Kevin Leonard. “His deep understanding of state and federal recovery programs, combined with his long history of working directly with local governments, will strengthen our ability to support counties as they navigate disaster recovery challenges.”
Stanton has been involved in disaster recovery work for more than 25 years, including over two decades with NCEM working in its recovery section. During that time, he served as a supervisor, section manager, recovery chief and program delivery chief, his current role. In this position, he oversees the coordination of state and federal disaster recovery programs and supports the delivery of critical services to disaster survivors and eligible applicants. He has worked on more than 35 federal disaster declarations and 40 state disaster declarations.
Stanton has also served on numerous state and federal committees focused on improving disaster recovery policies and programs. His work has emphasized helping states and local governments develop and implement recovery plans.
Before joining NCEM, Stanton served as executive director of a community-based nonprofit and built a background in project management and community development.
In his role with NCACC, Stanton will continue to support North Carolina counties by providing strategic guidance on disaster recovery policies, planning and execution. He will also help identify and resolve recovery barriers facing counties in western North Carolina in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene, the most costly and deadly storm in state history. Counties across North Carolina have long relied on Stanton’s leadership and institutional knowledge and are grateful that his experience will continue to advance their readiness and recovery in this new role.
For more information about the NCACC, please visit ncacc.org.
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