After Nearly Four Decades of Service, Rob Shepherd Retires from the NC City & County Management Association and the UNC School of Government

Rob Shepherd, a fixture of North Carolina local government for nearly 40 years, retired July 1, 2026, from his post as executive director of the North Carolina City & County Management Association (NCCCMA), closing out a career that touched nearly every city and county manager in the state.

NCCCMA marked the occasion with a retirement celebration at this year’s Summer Seminar in Asheville in June. Lloyd Payne, NCCCMA president and manager of the City of Concord, presented Shepherd with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine—North Carolina's highest civilian honor, bestowed by the Office of the Governor. In the nomination, he wrote that Shepherd's career "reflects the highest ideals of public service—integrity, leadership, and dedication to improving the lives of North Carolinians."

Shepherd's career in public service began in 1987, when he became the first town manager of Walkertown, a role he held until 1990. During that time, he built the town's professional management practices from the ground up and oversaw annexations that doubled its population, laying the groundwork for sustainable growth. He then moved to Kernersville, serving as assistant town manager and human resources manager from 1990 to 1996, where he stood up the town's first centralized human resources department and modernized its personnel systems while supervising major capital projects.

From 1996 to 2019, Shepherd took on a series of leadership roles with the North Carolina League of Municipalities, including member services representative, manager of member services, and assistant director of business services. In those positions, he provided consultation, risk management guidance, and training to hundreds of municipalities across the state. He was instrumental in developing statewide training for local elected officials and organizing annual conferences for public officials—work that helped build a lasting pipeline of trained elected and appointed leaders for North Carolina communities.

In 2019, Shepherd shifted to NCCCMA, first as program manager and eventually as executive director, the post from which he just retired. In that role, he helped professionalize the organization by implementing strategic plans, organizing statewide seminars, and strengthening partnerships among NCCCMA, the League of Municipalities, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, and the UNC School of Government. He also mentored a new generation of managers, promoted membership growth, and served on the Civic Federal Credit Union Scholarship Committee, helping aspiring public servants access educational opportunities. Throughout, his long involvement with the International City/County Management Association reinforced his reputation as a steward of ethical governance.

Colleagues at the School of Government offered a lighter tribute as well, crediting Shepherd with enduring "many sunburns and near heat-strokes" from organizing golf outings at NCCCMA's Summer Seminar over the years—and noting that few people could match his ability to "wrangle hundreds of city and county managers, all of whom are used to being in charge."

At the June celebration in Asheville, Dean Aimee Wall presented Shepherd with three gifts that have become tradition for retiring School of Government employees: a formal retirement certificate, a gift card, and a brick—engraved with "Rob Shepherd, Honored to Serve North Carolina Managers"—to be installed in the School's walkway.

Reading from tributes written by Shepherd's colleagues, Wall said the School valued him "not only as a gentle, kind, and deeply loyal colleague but also someone whose presence has enriched this community in countless ways."

"We wish him many happy and fulfilling days in retirement," Wall said, "though we are certain folks across the state will line up patiently and await his wise counsel—and we will all be better for it—for many years to come."

Shepherd is succeeded by Nathan Lozinsky, director of operations and administration of NCCCMA. He can be reached at nlozinsky@sog.unc.edu and 919.962.4252.

Publishd July 17, 2026