Macon County Participates in 2018 NACo Annual Conference in Nashville, TN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Macon County Manager, Derek Roland
July 20, 2018 (828) 349- 2022




Jim Tate, Ronnie Beale and Derek Roland joined county leaders from across the nation in Davidson County, Nashville, Tennessee for the National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference, held July 13-16. North Carolina was well represented at the conference with over 150 county leaders attending. NACo is a national advocacy and leadership organization representing the common interests of 3,069 counties, boroughs and parishes throughout the country. “Collaboration is key to the success of any business or organization including local government. I look forward to the NACo Conference each year as it provides us with an opportunity to discuss the challenges we are facing here at home with elected officials from across the country. From securing PILT funding to combating the Opiod Epidemic, we must realize that nationwide issues will never and can never be solved without nationwide collaboration. The annual NACo Conference provides us with this forum. It is always a very educational and eye-opening experience.” - Jim Tate, Chairman, Macon County Board of Commissioners The conference provided an opportunity for counties across the nation to come together for workshops, education sessions and 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. The event also featured high profile speakers including Marian Wright Edelman, Founder and President, Children’s Defense Fund, Eddie George, entrep
reneur and former NFL running back, and several award winning songwriters.
During the conference, NACo members voted to elect the next Second Vice President of the organization. North Carolina’s own Ray Jeffers, Person County Commissioner and Past President of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) ran for the seat, along with three other candidates from Florida, Georgia and Kentucky. Jeffers received strong support from North Carolina counties and the NCACC, which backed his campaign. It was a hard fought, highly competitive race, and among the four candidates, Gary Moore, Judge-Executive, Boone County, Kentucky emerged as the winner.

North Carolina county officials participated in the state’s caucus meeting, held Saturday, during which Forsyth County Commissioner Gloria Whisenhunt was elected to serve on NACo’s Board of Directors. The North Carolina caucus was followed by a reception hosted by NCACC, and the North Carolina Association of Black County Officials met on Sunday.

Brenda Howerton, NCACC President and Durham County Commissioner along with Larry Phillips, NCACC President Elect and Surry County Commissioner served as panelists to discuss adaptive leadership to help organizations thrive under changing and challenging circumstances. Raymond Cummings, Chair of the Robeson County Commissioners and Steve Kalland, Executive Director, North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center spoke on a panel to explore land use planning for large-scale solar development.

In addition, Merle Green, Health Director, Guilford County led a panel discussion on improving health outcomes for children, mothers and aging adults, and Glenn Osborne, Director, Department of Social Services, Wilson County served on a panel focused on evidence based policy making. The North Carolina delegation also participated in the NACo Business Meeting, where San Diego County, California Supervisor, Greg Cox was sworn in as NACo’s 2018-19 President. He announced the following NACo leadership appointments for North Carolina:

 Kitty Barnes, Catawba County Commissioner (Chair, Environment, Energy and Land Use Steering Committee)
 Kate Cashion, Guilford County Commissioner (Vice Chair, Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee, and Vice Chair, Arts and Culture Commission)
 Christopher Coudriet, Manager, New Hanover County (Subcommittee Vice Chair, Medicaid and Indigent Care, Health Steering Committee)
 George Dunlap, Mecklenburg County Commissioner (Subcommittee Chair, Law
Enforcement, Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee)
 Charles Farley, Pitt County Commissioner (Subcommittee Vice Chair, Airports,
Transportation Steering Committee)
 Viola Harris, Edgecombe County Commissioner (Vice Chair, South Region, Membership Standing Committee and Subcommittee Vice Chair, Education, Children and Families, Human Services and Education Steering Committee)

 Brenda Howerton, NCACC President and Durham County Commissioner (Vice Chair, Healthy Counties Initiative Advisory Board and Subcommittee Vice Chair, Workforce, Community, Economic and Workforce Development Steering Committee)
 Sig Hutchinson, Wake County Commissioner (Subcommittee Vice Chair, Land,
Environment, Energy, and Land Use Steering Committee)
 Tammy Lee, Bertie County Commissioner (Subcommittee Vice Chair, Homeland Security, Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee)
 J. Glenn Osborne, Director, Department of Social Services, Wilson County
(Subcommittee Vice Chair, Education Children and Families, Human Services and Education Steering Committee)
 Renee Price, Orange County Commissioner (Vice Chair, Arts and Culture Commission and Vice Chair, Community, Economic and Workforce Development Steering Committee)
 Anthony Trotman, Assistant Manager, Mecklenburg County (Subcommittee Vice Chair, Social Services, Human Services and Education Steering Committee)
 Gloria Whisenhunt, Forsyth County Commissioner (Subcommittee Chair, Long Term, Health Steering Committee and Vice Chair, Healthy Counties Initiative Advisory Board)

Editors: Print quality photos may be downloaded for use at:
https://ncacc.smugmug.com/NACo-Annual-Conference-2018-Nashville-TN/ Photos should be credited as follows: Photo courtesy Chris Baucom/NCACC.
The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) is the official voice of all 100 counties on issues being 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.