Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners Announces Hiring of New County Manager

After a nationwide search, the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners has hired Mike Bryant as the next County manager. Bryant has more than 30 years of public service experience and currently serves as deputy County manager for Mecklenburg County.  

The search began shortly after Mecklenburg County Manager Dena R. Diorio announced her plans for retirement last August. Commissioners worked with executive recruitment firm MGT to identify and place a successor prior to Diorio’s June 30, 2025, departure.

In his current role as deputy Mecklenburg County manager, Bryant is responsible for financial services and internal support. He provides executive oversight of the Financial Services Department, the Office of the Tax Collector, the County Assessor’s Office, Information Technology, and Human Resources. He is also responsible for the management and distribution of the American Rescue Plan Act funding. He leads the County’s enterprise risk management strategy and is accountable for financial planning and compliance throughout the organization.  

Bryant joined the County in 2003 as a management and budget analyst. He was promoted to director of the Office of Management and Budget in 2014 and deputy County manager in 2020. Prior to joining the County, Bryant worked for the City of Durham, Duke University, Granville County, and the North Carolina Office of the Governor. 

In his role as County manager, Bryant will provide leadership for all County departments and agencies that serve more than 1.1 million Mecklenburg County residents through an array of programs and services. He will also be responsible for drafting an annual budget, currently more than $2.5 billion, and carrying out the priorities and initiatives of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners.  

“Having Deputy County Manager Bryant serve as our next County manager will allow for a seamless transition, especially given his extensive executive leadership experience, his knowledge of our community, along with his 20-plus years of budgetary and finance expertise,” said Mark Jerrell, Mecklenburg County Board chair.

“Honoring the County’s legacy of excellent service to our residents is my number one aim, and to continue to build on the strong foundation our current County manager, Dena R. Diorio, has entrusted to each of us. I intend to enhance those services, improve efficiency, and support community growth,” said Mike Bryant.  

His major initiatives will include:

• Collaborating with the Mecklenburg County Commissioners to work toward achieving the Board priorities of:
  • Health Equity and Wellness
  • Education
  • Services for Seniors
  • Workforce Development
  • Environmental Stewardship
  • Economic Development  
  • Reducing Racial Disparities (Cross-cutting across priorities)
• Building on existing relationships with partners such as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the City of Charlotte, the six Mecklenburg County Towns and Central Piedmont Community College to develop a regional approach to responding to community issues, such as affordable housing and transportation.
• Leveraging his extensive budgetary and finance experience to ensure the County remains a resilient organization that continues to meet the needs of all residents.  
• Spending time actively listening to key community stakeholders, the private sector and philanthropic organizations.  
• Facilitating a deep-dive analysis of County services to identify resources that can be repurposed to improve efficiencies and support more pressing community needs.    

“I am honored to serve as the next County manager, which has been my goal since joining Mecklenburg County as a management and budget analyst in 2003 and rising through the system to my most recent role as deputy County manager,” Bryant said. “I would like to thank our dedicated Mecklenburg County Commissioners for their vote of confidence in appointing me to this vital community role. I remain dedicated to serving the entire community that has been home to my family and me for the past 22 years.”  

Bryant holds a bachelor’s degree, and a Master of Public Administration degree from North Carolina Central University. He has served in numerous professional and community leadership roles including past president of the Government Finance Officers Association, the MEDIC Board of Commissioners and North Carolina Central University’s Board of Visitors.