Currituck board: Interim manager Gay to be next county manager

CURRITUCK — The Currituck Board of Commissioners didn't look too far to find the county's next manager.

Rebecca Gay, the county's assistant manager and interim manager since former Donald "Ike" McRee Jr.'s retirement April 1, has been named county manager, the county said in a press release Tuesday.

Bob White, chairman of the Currituck Board of Commissioners, said he expects the board to conduct a formal vote on Gay’s appointment during its next meeting on Oct. 21.

“We are very excited to have Rebecca step up and fulfill this role," he said in the release. "She has more than exceeded our expectations as the interim county manager and we’re looking forward to continuing working with her in the future."

Prior to being appointed interim manager, Gay had served as assistant county manager to McRee since July 1, 2022. Before that, she was the assistant to the county manager under former manager Ben Stikeleather.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue in service to Currituck County as county manager and appreciate the Board of Commissioners’ confidence in my abilities,” Gay said. “I am committed to the success of Currituck County, and with the support of our outstanding team I am confident that we will continue to move the county forward in a positive and responsible manner while implementing the board’s vision for the future.”

In hiring Gay as manager, Currituck commissioners repeated the same process they followed in hiring McRee to be county manager in February 2022. He, too, had served as interim county manager for approximately six months before being appointed to the manager's job.

According to the county, Gay joined the Currituck County staff on March 29, 2010, as deputy coordinator in the Emergency Management Department. She has a master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the College of Charleston.