Interim County Manager Bobbie Shields works closely with an Executive Team that is responsible for the overall management of Mecklenburg County. The team includes the following:
Bobbie Shields
Bobbie Shields was named interim county manager by the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners on May 7, 2013.
Bobbie joined Mecklenburg County as deputy director of the County Engineering Department in 1986 and was appointed county engineer in 1989. In 1994, he became director of the consolidated Engineering and Building Standards Department. In December 2000 he was named assistant county manager and subsequently general manager, and assumed the duties of leading the County's Sustainable Community Focus Area Leadership Team and economic development initiatives. He oversaw Land Use and Environmental Services, Park and Recreation, and Economic Development Services. As a member of the Executive Team, he shared responsibility for overall County executive administration.
Bobbie earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from NC State University in 1975; a master’s in engineering from the University of South Carolina in 1983; and a master of business administration degree from UNC-Charlotte in 1994.
In addition to serving as interim County manager, he is also serving as County assessor until a new assessor is hired, a process currently under way.
John McGillicuddy
John McGillicuddy is assistant county manager. In this role, John's primary accountability is achieving the organization's goals for efficiency and effectiveness. John provides executive oversight of the Business Support Services Agency (BSSA), Office of Management and Budget, Board of Elections, Register of Deeds, Risk Management, and Clerk to the Board. As a member of the Executive Team, he shares responsibility for overall County executive administration.
John has been with Mecklenburg County since 1991, joining the Public Information Department (PI) as a public information specialist. He was promoted to PI director in 1994. In October 2000, he was named interim assistant county manager, and then served as executive assistant to the County manager from December 2000 to November 2002. John was appointed to the position of general manager in November 2002 (retitled as assistant county manager in 2013).
John is a native of Massachusetts, and earned a bachelor of science degree in sport management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He also holds a master's degree in organizational change and leadership (MSL) from Pfeiffer University. He is a Fellow of the American Leadership Forum in Charlotte (Class V) and a graduate of Leadership Charlotte (Class XX).
John has lived in Charlotte since 1980, and is married with two children.
Michelle Lancaster-Sandlin
Michelle Lancaster-Sandlin is assistant county manager and is responsible for the Community Health & Safety Focus Area Leadership Team, which includes the Human Services Agency, the Department of Social Services, the Health Department, MeckLINK Behavioral Healthcare, and Criminal Justice Services, and is liaison to the Sheriff’s Office and the Court System.
Michelle joined Mecklenburg County as staff assistant to the Board of County Commissioners in 1998 and was named assistant to the county manager in December 2000. In 2003, she was named executive assistant to the county manager and was promoted to associate general manager in 2006. She was named general manager in 2008(retitled as assistant county manager in 2013).
Michelle earned a BA in English and a master of public administration (MPA) degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Dena Diorio
Dena Diorio is assistant county manager for fiscal control, policies and standards compliance, where she provides executive management oversight of the County’s Financial Services Department (comprising Central Finance, Human Services Finance, and the Office of the Tax Collector) as well as MeckLINK Finance, and the Assessor’s Office. In collaboration with thedeputy county attorney/chief compliance officer, Dena also develops and implements strategies for a key component of the County’s compliance program.
Dena joined Mecklenburg County in 2007 as director of the Department of Financial Services. She earned her BS degree in social services from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. She earned a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University.
Leslie Johnson
Leslie Johnson is interim assistant county manager and oversees the Sustainable Communities Focus Area Leadership Team which includes Land Use and Environmental Services, Park and Recreation, and Economic Development Services. She also has responsibility for the Social, Education, and Economic Opportunity Focus Area which includes Workforce Development. Leslie joined Mecklenburg County in 2001 as director of planning and evaluation. She was promoted to associate general manager in 2011.
Leslie holds a doctor of philosophy degree with a concentration in housing policy and research from Virginia Tech. She also earned a master's degree in urban and regional planning with a multi-focus on planning/management methods and community development and physical planning, and a bachelor of architecture degree from Virginia Tech.