Meet Cleveland's new county manager
During a special-called meeting, Cleveland County Commissioners appointed David Cotton to serve as the county’s next manager beginning July 31, 2023.
Cotton has over two decades of leadership experience in local government.
Since 2019, he has served as the Hertford County manager. Prior to that, he worked for Onslow County where he was hired as deputy county manager and then promoted to county manager.
Cotton served eight years in the United States Navy Active/Active Reserve.
"With over 20 years of experience in local government, David will complement our fantastic team of county employees," Chairman Kevin Gordon said. “We look forward to his leadership as he works with the Board and the community to continue our forward momentum.”
Cotton offers a unique skill set, talents and perspective having served both municipal and county organizations, read a press release from the county. He understands building relationships is important and necessary to achieve the highest level of service delivery to the community. He practices the high-performance organization model of leadership which is a model that has been practiced in Cleveland County for several years.
“I am honored and humbled by the trust and confidence the board has in my leadership and ability. I look forward to earning that trust and confidence from county staff and the community," said Cotton. “I am truly grateful for the privilege of being provided the opportunity to serve the board, staff and citizens of Cleveland County as county manager, and I am looking forward to becoming a member of the Cleveland County community and continuingthe mission, vision, goals and objectives of the Board and broader community.”
Cotton has a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Public Administration degree from Appalachian State University. He has attended Harvard University’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government Institute, the University of Virginia Senior Executive Institute, and the Public Executive Leadership Academy through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Cotton was selected after a nationwide search.
As the county manager, Cotton will direct and supervise administration of all departments that oversee Cleveland County's 775 full-time and 150 part-time employees. His annual salary is $225,000.
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Meet Cleveland's new county manager
