Mecklenburg Shapes Leaders: CSS Director Selected for ‘Leadership North Carolina’
A longtime leader of in health and human services for Mecklenburg County government has been selected to take part in Leadership North Carolina.
Stacy Lowry, director of Mecklenburg County Community Support Services, is one of 56 civic and community leaders from around North Carolina to be accepted this year into the highly selective program. The class comprises leaders from across the state and across sectors—government, business, nonprofit, education, etc.
As director of Community Support Services, Lowry is responsible for leading a department that houses various human and community services. The department has about 150 employees and provides benefit claim filing for military veterans; confidential domestic violence therapy and counseling for children and adults; substance use counseling for people in shelters or detention centers; and services for residents experiencing homelessness and housing instability.
Lowry has worked with Mecklenburg County since 1998, beginning as a social worker with the Women’s Commission, which then operated as a stand-alone County department. She became director and led the consolidation of services into the single Community Support Services department in 2006.
“Through participation in Leadership North Carolina, I hope to gain a broader understanding of the strengths, challenges, and diversity throughout the state,” said Lowry. “I want to understand the issues across communities and learn how to best have an impact on them. More importantly, I want to learn how to adapt successful solutions in one community to solve a similar challenge in Mecklenburg County. I also hope to learn about potential solutions and collaborate with fellow classmates across the state to create change. I look forward to moving beyond the development of these skills to deploying them to positively help all North Carolinians.”
The mission of Leadership North Carolina is to inform, develop, and engage committed leaders by broadening their understanding of and involvement in issues and opportunities facing the state. It’s first class was in 1995. Participants spend multiple sessions throughout the year learning about issues critical to the state. The sessions focus on six key areas: economic development, education, environment, government, health and human services, and inclusive leadership.