Longtime Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio announces retirement in 2025
Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio, who took over during a tumultuous time for county government and later guided it through a global pandemic, will retire next year after more than a decade in her post.
Diorio, who has led the county since 2013, will depart July 1, the county said in a news release Thursday. That’s after the end of the current budget year. The Board of County Commissioners learned about the decision in a closed session during its Wednesday meeting, according to the release.
“It has been the honor of my life to serve the residents and employees of Mecklenburg County,” Diorio said in the news release. “When I took this role, I wanted to make sure the County was always at the table to discuss issues, find solutions, and improve lives for our residents. I have always believed that to serve our community, we must be bold and have a vision of how things could be. We needed to see what is possible, and how best to help people.”
County commissioners will appoint a search committee to find her replacement, according to the release.
Board Chairman George Dunlap described Diorio, Mecklenburg’s first female county manager, as a “visionary.”
“I am sad this day has come, but she has earned this time for herself, and I wish her and her husband all the best. I know we will find a new County Manager,” he said. “But there will only be one Dena.”
Who is Dena Diorio?
Diorio, now 62, first arrived in Mecklenburg County in 2007 as the county’s chief financial officer.
She grew up in New York City’s suburbs, The Charlotte Observer reported in 2014. She studied social work at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and began her career working with children who’d been abused and neglected.
That work sparked an interest in public policy, and she started working for the city of New York in 1988 after getting her master’s degree at Columbia University.
By 1995, she was director of city legislative affairs for then-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. After stints in city leadership in Connecticut, she pursued the Mecklenburg finance director job.
Her late husband, Robert, recalled in a 2014 story when then-County Manager Harry Jones called to offer her the job. Jones told the couple, ‘Not only did I find a finance director. I found the next county manager.’”
From dark-horse candidate to ‘change agent’
Longtime commissioner Pat Cotham told the Observer Thursday she also knew Diorio had a bright future from the moment they met — in 2012 when Diorio gave a presentation to newly elected commissioners. Cotham, whose background is in executive recruiting, recalled pulling Diorio aside to praise her.
“I could make a lot of money off of you, pitching you to some county to be the county manager,” she said she told Diorio. “... She laughed. But she really did impress me.”
Those high expectations didn’t mean Diorio vaulted to the top of the list when commissioners in 2013 fired Jones, who faced controversy over property revaluation and social services, Cotham said. But when Diorio interviewed for the job, she wowed the board, Cotham recalled.
She was labeled by several commissioners as a “change agent,” the Observer reported at the time.
“It is clear to us that Dena has her own ideas about how things ought to be done,” then-board Chairman Trevor Fuller said when Diorio was hired as manager. “She articulated a vision for the organization that was consistent with the vast majority of commissioners — she’s willing and able to make the changes that need to be made.”
Diorio pledged to increase transparency and improve communication between county staff and commissioners when she took office in December 2013.
“We’ve had some missteps over the past few years,” she said at the time. “I want residents to have a high degree of confidence that what we do is efficient and effective — and above board all the time.”
Diorio ascending to such a powerful role was meaningful for other women to see, Commissioner Elaine Powell said.
“When I was growing up, it was completely different. It was so rare to see a woman in leadership,” she said.
At-large commissioner Leigh Altman said Diorio “has a really strong leadership style” — one that Altman has “deeply appreciated.”
“I’m going to miss her a great deal,” Altman told the Observer. “She has been a phenomenal county manager, and we’re very blessed to have someone like her want to serve the public and devote all of her talents to improving the quality of life for all of our residents.”
Board Vice Chairman Mark Jerrell described Diorio as “somebody who is great at what she does.”
“She’s always well prepared. She’s a straight shooter. She is extremely knowledgeable,” he said. “... She can take complex information and synthesize it in a way where you understand the decisions that need to be made and the implications of those decisions.”
The board’s feelings about her performance reflected in Diorio’s compensation, which has more than doubled from a yearly package of $248,000 when she was hired to $505,841.75 after her most recent raise in 2023. Commissioners also approved a $25,000 bonus for Diorio last year.
At eventful decade-plus in Mecklenburg
Diorio arrived in Mecklenburg in time to guide the county through the 2008 financial crisis as finance manager, the county’s Thursday statement noted. And her time as manager included the COVID-19 pandemic.
Powell said the pandemic highlighted Diorio’s ability to think strategically, react quickly to evolving situations and her compassion rooted in a social work background.
Altman, who chairs the Metropolitan Transit Commission, said Diorio has been “instrumental” in helping “advance Mecklenburg County’s interest around transit.”
Diorio’s also helped launch the MECK PreK program to provide free education to 4-year-old children, two Community Resource Centers and a partnership with Community Land Trust on affordable housing.
Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones, who often works with Diorio on issues, called her “a strong advocate for Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.”
“I want to congratulate Dena on an amazing career and share my appreciation for her service and dedication ... I appreciate her partnership, leadership, and determination as we have worked together to address some of the most important issues our community has faced,” he said in a statement to the Observer.
In the county’s statement, Diorio pointed to the recent news of Charlotte moving up from No. 50 to No. 38 in economic mobility among 50 U.S. cities as a point of pride.
“I have been steadfast in facing challenges while ensuring fiscal responsibility and security. My goal was to leave Mecklenburg County a better place than when I arrived, and I believe I have accomplished that,” she said “... I know the County made great efforts to do our part in moving that needle in the right direction.”
What’s next for Mecklenburg County?
Diorio will help commissioners search for her replacement.
Cotham would like to see candidates with experience managing a large organization and who, like Diorio, are willing to go out into the community and talk to residents. She’d also like to see someone who prioritizes building relationships with the leaders of all of Mecklenburg’s municipalities and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
“They’re part of the team, you know, for the betterment of Mecklenburg County,” she said.
Altman described Mecklenburg’s deputy county managers as “fantastic” and said she’d like to see them apply in addition to a nationwide search. She said all candidates need to understand the scope of the services the county provides — from public health and social services to funding for schools and parks and recreation.
“It’s going to have to be someone with an incredibly strong skill set, both in terms of the substance of the work we do and the leadership skills we need at this level,” she said.
Jerrell said commissioners are “still shaping” the process to replace Diorio but believes Mecklenburg is “very fortunate as the county to have some phenomenal, phenomenal internal staff” who could be considered.
Regardless of who is hired, Cotham believes Diorio is leaving Mecklenburg in a good place.
“I think that whoever takes hold of the big ship, takes control of the county will be fortunate,” she said. “They will inherit an awesome group of dedicated employees.”
This story was originally published August 8, 2024 at 10:13 AM.
