Former Mecklenburg County Manager Jerry Fox Has Died

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Former Mecklenburg County Manager Gerald “Jerry” Fox died Wednesday, March 27th, according to a statement from Mecklenburg County officials.

Fox led the County from 1980 to 2000. Over a public service career spanning more than 50 years, Fox earned local, state, and national recognition as an effective public leader. He was a key figure in the transformation of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, and in the building of a world-class government workforce.

Following Fox’s retirement from Mecklenburg County, he served as an instructor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, interim County manager for Gaston County, interim executive director of the North Carolina Dance Theater, and interim executive director of the Community School of the Arts.

“Jerry Fox was a driving force for progress in Mecklenburg County during his 20-year tenure as manager,” said Dena R. Diorio, Mecklenburg County manager. “It was a period of dramatic change in our community, from the rapid growth in population and evolution into a world-class community, to the many technological advances that Mecklenburg County came to embrace. He was a source of encouragement to me as County manager. I am continually inspired by his dedication to the betterment of our community and by the passion with which he led Mecklenburg County’s growing force of talented employees.