Mecklenburg County manager Dena Diorio will retire in 2025

Dena Diorio, Mecklenburg County's first female county manager , will retire next year.

Why it matters: Diorio has served as the county's CEO for nearly 11 years, becoming one of Charlotte's most powerful people in terms of shaping the city we know today.

State of play: Diorio's retirement goes into effect July 1, 2025. She told the Board of County Commissioners during a closed session on Wednesday.

What's next: The Board of County Commissioners will appoint a search committee for a new manager. Diorio will be involved in finding her replacement.

What we're watching: The next county manager will step into a number of ongoing projects, including determining how to proceed with the Brooklyn Village project in Uptown.

Context: Diorio, a New York native, started her career as a social worker. Mecklenburg County hired her as county manager in December 2013 and as the county's chief financial officer in 2007.

• She navigated the Great Recession in that finance role, then, as manager, she led the county through the COVID-19 pandemic and refused to pay hackers in 2017 when cybercriminals froze the county's online services, including property records and online applications for marriage licenses.
• Diorio has received several awards throughout her career, including the Gem Award from the Charlotte Museum of History for the county's support to restore the historic Siloam School , a segregation-era school built in the 1920s to educate Black children.

Flashback: She took over at a tumultuous time for the county. Commissioners fired longtime manager Harry Jones in a stunning meeting in May 2013, after several years of criticism over the 2011 property revaluation.

• The county promoted Diorio to assistant manager at the time. Commissioners launched a nationwide search for Jones' replacement before ultimately choosing Diorio for the full-time post in December of that year.

What she's saying: "I have been steadfast in facing challenges while ensuring fiscal responsibility and security," Diorio said in a statement.

• "When I became County Manager, a national study showed that we were 50 out of 50 in economic mobility. We are now 38 out of 50 , I know the County made great efforts to do our part in moving that needle in the right direction."

The bottom line: "I know we will find a new County Manager," County Commission Chair George Dunlap said in a statement. "But there will only be one Dena."