By Robert Jordan
Daily Record of Dunn
DUNN – In a special called meeting of the Dunn City Council on Monday, March 31, at 6:30 p.m., Mayor William P. Elmore Jr. announced the hiring of a new city manager effective June 1.
“After months of searching for a city manager, I along with the board of commissioners are delighted to extend a warm welcome to Justin B. Hembree as our new city manager,” said Elmore. “On behalf of the entire team and community, we are thrilled to have him join us and are confident that his expertise, vision and leadership will greatly benefit our city.”
Hembree currently serves as executive director of the Mid-Carolina Regional Council of Governments. The mayor explained that the MCCOG helped lead the search for Dunn’s next city manager.
“After spending many days and hours with Justin, determining the needs and qualifications for this position, we (the council) began to see that Justin would be a great choice for us,” said Elmore. “Therefore, we asked him if he would consider the position and fortunately, he accepted.”
“We are excited to see the positive impact he will have on our community, and we look forward to working closely with him to achieve our shared goals.”
A native of Mitchell County, North Carolina, Hembree has over 20 years of professional public service experience in municipal, county and regional local government management. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Public Administration from Appalachian State University. In his current position with the MCCOG he oversees local government planning, economic development, and human services in the counties of Cumberland, Harnett and Sampson.
Hembree has served as executive director of Land of Sky Regional Council based in Asheville. He has also served as county manager of Mitchell County, assistant county manager and interim county manager of Henderson County, and town manager of Taylorsville.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Development Organizations, serves as chair of the North Carolina Association of Regional Councils of Governments, and is active with the North Carolina City/County Management Association.
The father of two adult children, Hembree currently calls Salemburg home.
Dunn’s next city manager occasionally competes on the professional barbecue circuit and was on a team that placed second in the Whole Hog Category and third overall at the 2017 Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.
He is a North Carolina Pork Council Certified Judge, has judged the North Carolina Whole Hog State Championship and is the founder of the Carolina BBQ League.
Hembree will begin his official duties as city manager of Dunn on June 1 at an annual salary of $175,000. He will earn sick leave and vacation leave as a 20-year employee of the city.
