Mecklenburg County’s First Female Manager Announces Retirement

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – County commissioners tapped Dena Diorio to lead Mecklenburg County back in 2013. The first woman named to the role, she’s steered the county through difficult times, like when she refused to pay cyberhackers after they attacked county servers in 2017. She said then, “We made them mad and so now they’re retaliating.” And when she took charge of the county’s pandemic response, saying in early 2021, “We can’t just sit back while the cases continue to rise.”

Now, after 36 years working in local government, Diorio says it’s time to make good on a promise she made to herself. She says, “When my husband died in 2018, he was 68 years old. He never had an opportunity to retire. And I made a promise to myself that I was going to retire when I was young and healthy enough to enjoy it.”

Diorio says she doesn’t think being the first female county manager impacted her or her colleagues. But, “Even today, in 2024, I can still go into a room and be the only woman at the table,” she says.

Diorio will not step down until July 2025. She says the upcoming months will allow commissioners time to find the right person to replace her, and allow her to help them transition into the role. Her advice to whoever it may be: “You need to have really thick skin. You can’t take all of this stuff personally. I think that’s probably the most important thing,” she says.

WCCB News @ Ten anchor Morgan Fogarty said, “You, in your capacity, have seen all parts of Charlotte, including the underbelly. What do you think is Charlotte’s greatest obstacle moving forward?” Diorio says, “I think affordable housing is the greatest obstacle.” And, “I do think that’s one of the things that’s going to continue to to hurt us.”

On her first day on the job back in 2013, Diorio said her goal was this: “Most importantly, at this point, I want to improve our public trust with the with the public and the residents of the county. We’ve had some missteps over the last few years.”

She says now, “I believe this organization is so much stronger than when I found it. I think we have a tremendous amount of credibility. People look to the county to be a partner, and I think that’s the legacy that I think I’m most proud of.”

Diorio says the county’s pre-k program that she created is one of her proudest achievements as county manager. She says she has no plans as of yet for her retirement, but says it will include golf and travel.