County Leadership Team

Mike Bryant currently serves as county manager for Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. In his role, he is the chief executive officer of the organization and is responsible for managing Mecklenburg County’s $2.5 billion annual budget, carrying out the established priorities of the Board of County Commissioners, and leading a team of over 6,400 employees in service to more than 1.2 million residents.  

Mike has over 30 years of public service experience and joined Mecklenburg County in 2003. Prior to his current position, Mike served as deputy county manager for Mecklenburg County, overseeing the departments of finance, information technology services, and human resources, along with the offices of the County Assessor and Tax Collector. He previously also served as director of the county’s budget office. Mike’s career experience includes employment with the City of Durham, Duke University, Granville County, and the N.C. Office of the Governor.

Throughout his career Mike has served on various national boards and is an active member of the National Association of County Officers (NACo); the International City & County Management Association (ICMA); the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA), and the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States & Canada (GFAO), were he once served as president.

Locally Mike is a member of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, Blumenthal, United Way of the Carolinas, Charlotte Center City Partners, Leading on Opportunity, Charlotte Sports Foundation, and the Metropolitan Public Transit Authority, a board charged with expanding and modernizing the region's transit infrastructure.

Some of Mike’s previous professional affiliations include the North Carolina Local Government Budget Association; Wayfinders; the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s MPA Advisory Board; the Board of Commissioners for Emergency Medical Services; along with the Chancellor’s Board of Visitors at North Carolina Central University.

Mike is a proud two-time graduate of North Carolina Central University and holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Public Administration degree from the institution.

Mike has been the recipient of numerous awards for his contributions and leadership, including the Community Building Initiative’s “Leaders Under 40” award, North Carolina Central University’s Crystal Eagle Award, the Growing The Dream Committee of Charlotte’s Root Award, and the John “Jack” Vogt Lifetime Achievement Award, a recognition of individuals who have advanced the field of budgeting and evaluation in North Carolina local government.

A lifelong learner, Mike is also a graduate of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators Executive Leadership Institution, and a former senior fellow of both the American Leadership Forum and the N.C. Governor’s Public Management program. Mike has also graduated from the Public Executive Leadership Academy at the UNC School of Government; and, the Leadership, Educating, and Developing (LEAD) program at the University of Virginia.