Charlotte City Manager Curt Walton announced today that Julie White has been named Intergovernmental Relations Manager for the City of Charlotte. She replaces Boyd Cauble who retired in December. White will be leaving her post as the Director of the North Carolina Metropolitan Mayors Coalition, a group of the State’s twenty six largest city mayors focused on addressing issues affecting local governments and promoting the interchange of ideas and experiences to expand urban areas as livable, environmentally sound and economically viable. As director she helped establish and execute legislative priorities for advocacy, research and coalition-building.
Her 15-year career includes serving as Senior Policy Advisor to Lt. Governor Dennis Wicker and Legislative Liaison for House Majority Leader Representative Phil Baddour before joining the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer. During her tenure at the State Treasurer she held various positions including Director of Communications, Director of Corporate Governance, and Senior Advisor. From October 2007 through May 2008 she took a leave of absence from the Department to become Deputy Campaign Manager for Richard Moore’s campaign for governor.
White will assume her new role January 18 as senior advisor to the City Manager regarding policy issues, strategic initiatives, and legislative proposals. She will be responsible for providing in-depth policy research, analysis and lobbying on Federal and State legislation impacting the City of Charlotte.
As primary liaison between other governmental entities White will work with quasi-public sector agencies and private sector organizations to maximize efforts and influence legislative outcomes. These include Mecklenburg County, the Metropolitan Transit Commission, and the North Carolina League of Municipalities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities, the Chamber of Commerce as well as higher education institutions and designated advocacy groups.
“Her strong legislative background and reputation for working effectively with elected and appointed officials across the region and state will be an asset to the City of Charlotte,” says Walton. “Additionally, her experience in governance and policy-making will help us accomplish our priorities.”
In an effort to strengthen the relationship between the State and the City of Charlotte, White will be based in Raleigh allowing her to greatly increase the City’s involvement with the state’s elected and appointed leadership. Having the City’s chief lobbyist working in Raleigh for a significant portion of her time will enable the City to significantly expand its advocacy work both during the regular sessions of the General Assembly and in the interim. White will be in Charlotte to participate in City Council meetings, staff meetings and other intergovernmental policy meetings.
“I look forward to joining the City of Charlotte’s professional staff with an eye to building stronger relationships between the City and the State’s elected leadership,” White says. “Providing a greater focus on the State’s Capitol will ensure better information sharing and more opportunities for input into the legislative, policy, and regulatory development processes for the City.”
White holds a Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University and a Masters of Public Administration from North Carolina State University. She also attended the Stanford Law School Fiduciary College, an intensive three-day program for trustees and senior managers of endowments, foundations, and public, corporate, and union pension funds.
White will also be responsible for the development and execution of the City’s federal agenda and will be the City’s principal contact with Holland & Knight, the City’s lobbying firm in Washington, D.C.
More than 150 candidates applied from across the country. White was selected among 10 finalists for the position.
