George Dunlap, the District 3 member of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners, was sworn in Monday as president of the National Association of Counties. He is the first Mecklenburg commissioner to hold the office, according to the county.
Dunlap took the oath at NACo's annual conference in New Orleans. The association represents 3,069 counties, parishes and boroughs, more than 40,000 locally elected officials and 3.6 million county employees. As president, Dunlap presides over its board and executive committees and serves as its chief spokesperson and public representative.
He arrives at the post after 18 years on the county board, six of them as chair. He was elected NACo second vice president in 2024 and moved up the association's officer ladder over the following two years. The Mercury reported in March that Dunlap was in line for the presidency.
"It is a privilege and honor to be the new NACo president," Dunlap said. "Public service work at the local level is vital and unique. It's more important than ever before for all of us across the country to be connected in our work, our practices, and how we are navigating new mandates and the political culture."
Dunlap used his inaugural address to introduce the initiative that will define his term, "Building Better Futures," which he said would focus on youth and youth-related programs across the country.
Conference sessions covered mental health services, changes to Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Services benefits, and how local governments should adapt to artificial intelligence.
"I am so proud of Commissioner Dunlap," said Mark Jerrell, chair of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners. "We are here because Commissioner Dunlap has committed years into work at NACo and he will be a great leader for the organization."
"The work of NACo is vital and this conference is an annual opportunity to learn from each other and to have face-to-face conversations," said County Manager Mike Bryant. "I'm ecstatic that Commissioner Dunlap is now NACo president."
Dunlap keeps his seat on the Mecklenburg board. The NACo presidency runs alongside it.