Kannapolis Deputy City Manager Eddie Smith has been elected President of the North Carolina City & County Management Association.

Created in 1964, the North Carolina City and County Management Association (NCCCMA) is the professional association for city and county managers and assistant managers throughout the State of North Carolina.

NCCCMA facilitates the personal and professional growth of its members by connecting them with learning opportunities, new ideas, robust information, and each other. The Association is the state affiliate of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and maintains deep ties with key partner organizations across the state such as the League of Municipalities and the Association of County Commissioners.

As president Eddie’s initiatives will be to improve civility in local government, advocate for the importance of mental health and resiliency and continue efforts to recruit more veterans to the profession.

Prior to being selected as President of NCCCMA Eddie served in various leadership roles with the organization including Professional Conduct Chair, Civic Education Chair, and Sponsorship Chair.

Eddie has worked with the City of Kannapolis for 21 years. Prior to joining Kannapolis, he was the Town Manager of Elkin and the Town Manager of Lake Waccamaw. He began his career in local government as the Hazard Mitigation Coordinator for New Hanover County.

He is also involved in several community organizations including the Cabarrus Rotary Club and the Kannapolis YMCA Board. He has also held various leadership positions including the past president of the Kannapolis Rotary Club, Vice Chairperson of the Cabarrus County Crimestoppers, Steering Committee Member for Leadership Cabarrus and Past President of the Appalachian State University Local Government Alumni Association.  

A native of Mechanicsville, Virginia, Eddie is a veteran of the U.S. Navy as a Cryptologic Technician and a graduate of the U.S. Army Military Intelligence School. He has a B.S in Criminal Justice and a Master of Public Administration from Appalachian State University. He is also a graduate of the N.C. Municipal and County Administration Program and the Public Executive Leadership Academy at UNC-CH’s School of Government. Eddie is also an adjunct instructor with the UNC School of Government Master of Public Administration program.

He is married to Tammy and they have two sons and two daughters.