NCACC Annual Business Session will take place during the 116th Annual Conference on Saturday, August 26 at 2:00 p.m. At this business session, voting delegates from each county will have the opportunity to cast your county’s vote for the next NCACC 2nd Vice President.
For county voting delegate information, please reach out to Alisa Cobb. To learn more about the NCACC Board of Directors and its Executive Committee, visit www.ncacc.org/board-of-directors. Below is a statement from each of the candidates running for 2nd Vice President.
Tony W. Cozart
Granville County
I am Tony W. Cozart, and it is an honor to be a candidate for the NCACC 2nd Vice President. My motivation to run is simply to use my leadership skills to build upon the great work of previous leaders and make our association and this state the best they can be. I listened attentively as Kevin Leonard, our Executive Director, shared his vision for “Building an Association” at the Board of Directors meeting in July. My current and previous leadership roles align with the progressive posture needed to help make Mr. Leonard’s vision become a reality. My capacity to adapt will be a tremendous asset to each president who will serve before me as new presidential initiatives are started. Hard work was instilled in me at an early age by being the son of a sharecropper and my first public job as a bag boy at the 7 Eleven Food Store. The hard work from my youth continued into ongoing years of public service. Lastly, I have three loving grandchildren, and I want to lead to promote a safe and prosperous state for them and all children to live in. Significant leadership assignments include:
- 34 years as a county commissioner
- 27 years as a school administrator
- 19 years as pastor of Cooks Chapel Missionary Baptist Church
- 6.5 years as Executive Director of Franklin Granville Vance Smart Start
- 4 years as Moderator of the United Shiloh Missionary Baptist Association
- 6 years of serving on the Board of Directors for the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford, NC
- 20 years – Board Chair, Franklin Vance Warren Opportunity, Inc.
- Founding Commissioner, Church Basketball League at the Central Children’s Home, Established in 1989
As you make your decision on how to cast your vote, please consider that I have been uncontested in eight consecutive elections. This is unquestioned evidence that I have been a true servant leader who has demonstrated competence, commitment, and humility as I have worked with my colleagues and all the citizens of Granville County. Thank you for your vote, support, and prayers! I have been guided by the charge from the Prophet Micah: “... do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God.”
George Dunlap
Mecklenburg County
My name is George Dunlap, and I am a candidate for 2nd Vice President of NCACC. I have been a member of NCACC for 15 years and currently serve as Chairman of the Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee. I am also a previous member of our Board of Directors. I have over 20 years of elected public service experience that have provided me with broad leadership skills and a solid foundation on issues that impact every county in our State. I am asking for your support and your vote. In doing so, I want to share with you a little about my background and why I am running. I am the District 3 representative on the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners, currently serving my fifth consecutive term as Chairman of the Board, and 8th term as a County Commissioner. Prior to being elected to the board in 2008, I served over 13 years on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. I am a member of the University City Partners Board of Directors, former member of the Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions Board of Directors, Board of Directors of the National Association of Counties (NACo), Arts and Science Council Board of Directors, Smart Start Board of Directors, and the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization. I previously served as Chairman of Mecklenburg County’s Health and Human Services Committee, Chairman of the Efficient and Effective Government Committee, and the Public Safety Committee. I served as a member of the Fire Commission, and the Communities in Schools Board of Directors. I was also a member of the Centralina Economic Development Commission, where I served as chairman for three years. I was a member of the Centralina Council of Government and an Executive Board Member of the Council. I am the recipient of several awards and recognitions, including having received the highest award given by Central Piedmont Community College, which is the Richard Hagemeyer Award, for outstanding achievement and progress in the use of educational opportunities. I have volunteered with a variety of different organizations. I am currently a volunteer with the American Red Cross and have been on several mission trips with the Lott Carey Organization. I attend Saint Paul Baptist Church, where as a former member of the Board of Directors, I hold the distinction as the longest serving Chair. During my 19-year tenure on the board, which included seven as Board Chair, I led the selection of an interim pastor, a total renovation of the church, and the construction of affordable housing units sponsored by the church. I am a lifelong resident of Mecklenburg County, born and reared in the Town of Pineville, which currently has a population of less than 11,000 residents. I attended Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and was a graduate of South Mecklenburg High School. I entered the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in 1974, where I received meritorious promotions to the rank of PFC and Lance Corporal. I obtained the rank of Sergeant by the end of my enlistment in 1976. I returned to Charlotte and served as a counselor for the National Conference of Christians and Jews, now the National Council of Community and Justice. In 1978, I was hired as a member of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and served for 27 years, before retiring June 30, 2005. I pride myself on being a life-long learner, having earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) in 2003. I received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from UNCC in 1991, and I hold associate degrees in correctional science and law enforcement from Central Piedmont Community College. I was a 1992 Fellow of the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership and a Fellow of the Broad Institute of Governance. I also completed NACo’s Advance Leadership Course for County Commissioners, the High-Performance Leadership Course, and the Advanced Leadership Academy sponsored by NCACC. As a long-time member of this association and a seasoned public leader, I have seen many changes, however, at least one thing has been consistent. This association has always had good leadership to advocate and work on behalf of counties in Raleigh and in Washington, DC. My extensive experience and intentional engagement on issues that are priorities for all our counties such as school funding, health and human services, justice and public safety, digital infrastructure and economic development offer a continuation of the solid leadership accustomed to by our organization. If given the opportunity to become the NCACC 2nd Vice President, I will continue to build upon the successes of the association, construct bridges where there is a divide, and work to keep us united so that we will truly be 100 counties working together.
Allen Thomas
Hoke County
Allen Thomas was born and raised in Hoke County, home of Fort Liberty (formerly known as Fort Bragg). After matriculating through Hoke County High School, Commissioner Thomas attended East Carolina University where he graduated with a degree in Rehabilitation Services and a Graduate Certification in Substance Abuse Counseling. He then decided to further his education by attending Liberty University in Virginia where he earned his Master’s Degree in Executive Leadership. Serving others has always been a passion for Allen. As a child, he proudly served as a Boy Scout where he volunteered countless hours to make his community a better place. As a teenager, he served as an usher in his church because he enjoyed greeting families as they entered the sanctuary. In 2014, Commissioner Thomas was elected to serve, making him the youngest Commissioner in Hoke County’s history. He was elected to serve as Vice-Chairman multiple times and as Chairman from 2021 to present. Commissioner Thomas also serves on the Hoke County DSS Board where he served as Chairman in 2021. Commissioner Thomas has been involved with NCACC since taking office. He has proudly served on the Board of Directors as an At-Large Director, Chairman of the Health and Human Services Steering Committee, and as Chairman of the General Government Steering Committee. With his wealth of experience, Commissioner Thomas seeks your support to be the next 2nd Vice President of NCACC. He is the candidate who will bring us together. He has proven his ability to work with people from different backgrounds and political beliefs. Now is the time to elect a leader who will be an advocate for all 100 counties. When he’s not working for the people of Hoke County, Allen is usually out fishing, at the range shooting skeet, or attending a football game. Following a distinguished career in counseling, Allen currently works in healthcare in the field of organ donation and transplant. Allen is the proud father of Anderson Thomas, a rising 8th grader.