Why Mecklenburg’s “GOAT” manager is retiring — and holding door open for others
At Dena Diorio’s last Board of County Commissioners meeting, the word of the day was “GOAT.”
Not the farm animal. The acronym for “Greatest of All Time” typically reserved for all-star athletes.
Although, there was a pink goat embroidered on the baseball cap gifted to outgoing county manager Diorio by board Vice Chair Leigh Altman, who joined her fellow commissioners in praising Diorio for her candor, decisiveness and depth of knowledge.
Diorio will officially retire at the end of month, ending a decade-plus tenure leading Mecklenburg through victories, controversies and world-changing events as the county’s first female manager. Her final months in office have included great huzzahs in her honor, including receiving the Charlotte Rotary Club’s Excellence in Leadership Award and being named Charlotte Woman of the Year.
National Association of Counties CEO Matthew Chase said in a tribute video she “set a new bar nationally for current and future county leaders.”
Looking back on her time in office, Diorio, 63, is proud of the good days, still keenly aware of the not-as-good days and ready to embark on a new phase of life.
“My husband died in 2018, and he was young. He was 68 years old. He never retired,” she told The Charlotte Observer. “And I made a commitment to myself that that was not going to be me, that I was going to retire when I was young and healthy enough to enjoy it.”
‘Change agent’ navigates eventful tenure
Despite growing up in New York, Diorio wasn’t new to Mecklenburg when she was named county manager in 2014.
A degree in social work and time working with abused and neglected children sparked an interest in public policy. By the mid-1990s, she had a master’s degree from Columbia University and a job as director of city legislative affairs for then-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
After stints in local government in Connecticut, she arrived in Charlotte in 2007 as the county’s new finance director — just in time to navigate the recession.
“You really have to make sure that you really understand what your true priorities are,” she said of navigating financial uncertainty.
County commissioners labeled Diorio a “change agent” as she ascended to manager in 2014 after her predecessor’s ouster over controversies with property revaluation and social services.
“I embraced it,” she said. “I really wanted to do better for the county. I wanted to do better for the community, and the board trusted me to do that. And so it was like they took the handcuffs off and let me loose. And you know, it was a lot of fun.”
More difficult times would follow, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Diorio worked to embed herself in the community. That’s led to strong relationships with nonprofits such as Dress for Success Charlotte, where Diorio is now a board member. The group provides support, including professional clothing, to unemployed and underemployed women.
“It’s work that she believes in and that her heart is in,” executive director Emily Wheeler said.
Successes and disappointments
One of Diorio’s proudest accomplishments as county manager was the launch of the MECK Pre-K program in 2019, which provides free pre-kindergarten to 4-year-olds in the county regardless of their families’ income. Her budget for the new fiscal year beginning July 1, which commissioners approved last week, includes funding for 10 more classrooms.
Diorio sees the program as an investment in the county’s future.
“Access to quality pre-K really stays with you over your lifetime,” she said.
Central Piedmont Community College President Kandi Deitemeyer, a close friend, sees MECK Pre-K as the embodiment of Diorio’s dedication to the community.
“Every decision that Dena Diorio has ever made as a leader has been about people, specifically children,” she said.
Diorio is also proud of the county’s work to revamp county-owned Latta Place in north Mecklenburg. The former Huntersville slave plantation closed four years ago after a controversial Juneteenth event but is slated to reopen in 2026 after an $11.2 million redesign.
That process was guided by county staff, historians, scholars, community leaders and descendants.
“I came from a suburb in New York that was not a very diverse place,” Diorio said. “And then to come and go through this journey, really understanding what the enslaved went through, what their lives were like, and reflecting back on how I was raised, and how that was sort of part of how I was raised and didn’t realize that I was raised that way has been very eye-opening.”
Controversies and projects that didn’t work out stick out in Diorio’s mind, too.
Then-County Health Director Marcus Plescia resigned in 2017 after the Observer reported the agency failed to notify 185 women about their risk for cervical cancer following abnormal Pap smears. Diorio described the situation as “heartbreaking” and still wishes she “had known more at the time to be able to have discovered it quicker.”
“As a woman, that’s something that’s very important to me,” she said.
Failed efforts to bring professional soccer to Charlotte early in her tenure as manager were also a learning experience, Diorio said. But Major League Soccer came in 2022 with Charlotte FC.
Breaking barriers
Though she remembers much of her 11 years in great detail, Diorio said being the county’s first female manager is “not really something I’ve thought about.”
“I didn’t think it really mattered, so it didn’t really drive how I made decisions,” she said.
Diorio said she learned to embrace her assertiveness as a female leader.
“I have to temper my personality,” she said. “People wouldn’t believe that for a minute, but you know, when you’re the only woman in the room, sometimes you have to try really hard not to be emotional or come off as emotional, because you get branded as being an ‘emotional female.’”
Deitemeyer said it’s been helpful for the two female leaders “to look across and see someone who might be going through some of the same circumstances.”
“There was a time as I think both of us were coming up in leadership that women were really working very diligently to take over the CEO or president’s role,” Deitemeyer said. “And that work has paid off.”
Wheeler described Diorio as someone who’s “incredibly joyful and loves to laugh.” She’s the friend, Wheeler said, who always remembers to ask how your vacation went and loves to hear a funny story about your kids.
“She builds trust and intimacy with folks,” she said.
Wheeler credits Diorio with leading by example to create “a structure and legacy to continue to uplift women in the county.”
“She’s holding open doors for the women around her,” she said.
New Mecklenburg County manager
Making way for a new generation was part of why Diorio decided now was the right time to retire, she said.
George Dunlap, county board chairman for six of Diorio’s years as manager, handed over the chairmanship to Mark Jerrell in December. Longtime county public information director Danny Diehl, a close confidant of Diorio’s, retired earlier this year.
There’s also been an influx of new, younger leadership at key community groups such as the Foundation for the Carolinas and YMCA of Greater Charlotte, Diorio noted.
“It’s time for the young leaders to get together and figure out what they want to do next and how they want to elevate Mecklenburg County,” she said.
She’ll hand over the title of county manager to a longtime deputy, Mike Bryant. A 22-year veteran of Mecklenburg government, Bryant was named manager in a unanimous vote by commissioners earlier this year.
“I’ve seen him grow dramatically in the 18 years I’ve known him,” Diorio said, praising him for his enthusiasm for learning and confidence.
Her biggest piece of advice for Bryant: “Leave your ego at the door.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know, and you don’t know what you don’t know,” she said. “And so embrace the fact that there’s things that you’re not going to know, and surround yourself with people who can help you be successful.”
What’s next for Dena Diorio?
Diorio believes a younger leader will be able to connect with a younger county workforce.
The 2018 death of her husband Robert from cancer was also a factor in her retirement decision, Diorio said. Now remarried, she’s excited to spend more time with family and friends and “just do what all the other retired people do.”
While her last day is officially June 30, her final day in the office was June 6. First on the agenda after that: “a full spa day.”
An avid golfer, Diorio is eager to spend more time on the course (asked to name her favorite in the area, she called all of the county-owned courses “fabulous”). She and her friends are learning how to play Mahjong, and there’s talk of trying pickleball.
“I’m just excited about the next chapter,” Diorio said.
But, she added, she’ll keep working with nonprofits including Dress for Success.
Wheeler told the Observer that shortly after Diorio announced her retirement plans the outgoing county manager volunteered to take on more work with Dress for Success.
“That just shows not just who she is as a leader, but her commitment to our community, even after she retires,” Wheeler said.
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
