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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, MD – The National Association of Counties (NACo) recently held its 2021 Annual Conference here where President Larry Johnson, DeKalb County, Georgia Commissioner, announced that Bertie County Commissioner Tammy Lee would join 19 of her colleagues across the state in NACo leadership roles.

Lee was appointed as Vice Chair of the Juvenile Subcommittee, and the Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee

The conference also included a North Carolina caucus event during which Lee was elected to the NACo Board of Directors. Commissioner Lee joins Gloria Whisenhunt, Forsyth County Commissioner, who also serves on the Board.

The conference featured Kevin Leonard, Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC), who participated in a panel discussion to explore various state agreements on the use of national opioid settlement funds. Last week, a $26 billion national opioid settlement was announced involving Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen – the nation’s three major pharmaceutical distributors – and Johnson & Johnson, which manufactured and marketed opioids.

NCACC is a recognized leader among statewide county associations for its collaboration with Attorney General, Josh Stein to ensure opioid settlement funds coming into North Carolina get to people in need quickly and effectively. So far, 53 local governments in North Carolina have approved a statewide plan, known as the NC MOA, to directly allocate opioid settlement funds to communities on the front lines of the epidemic.

County leaders attended workshops, education sessions and engaged in networking at the national conference to share best practices and discuss common challenges. Attendees also participated in steering committee meetings and official business session meetings to shape federal priorities for the organization and elect its leaders. Participants explored various topics including COVID-19 best practices, American Rescue Plan Act implementation and pandemic recovery, cybersecurity, workforce development, behavioral health and justice and other issues important to counties across the country.

Notable speakers included Vice President Kamala Harris and other high-level Administration officials, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and John Ondrasik, singer-songwriter, Five for Fighting.

Over 100 officials representing North Carolina counties attended the 2021 NACo Annual Conference and Exposition, held July 9-12 in Prince George’s County, Maryland. NACo is a national advocacy and leadership organization representing the common interests of 3,069 counties, boroughs, parishes throughout the country.