-information courtesy of Granville Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood
The Granville County Board of Commissioners has selected Drew Cummings as the new county manager. Cummings has been an assistant county manager and chief of staff in Durham County for 14 years. He will begin his new job on Oct. 17.
“I am so excited to come to Granville County and look forward to working with the commissioners, staff, and the community to continue building on the strong groundwork that has already been laid,” Cummings said.
Cummings is a native of Kalamazoo, Michigan and graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School. He and his wife, Amy, have three school-aged children and in his spare time Cummings enjoys exercise, woodwork, and singing in his church choir.
“The Granville County Board of Commissioners is unanimous in its selection of Drew Cummings,” said Tony Cozart, board chair. “His educational level and extensive experience make Mr. Cummings the desired candidate to serve as our next county manager.”
Before his time in Durham County, Cummings, worked in other areas of municipal government and was a middle school teacher for seven years before entering work in local government, according to a press statement from Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood..
While in Durham County, Cummings focused on a wide range of issues including economic development, education, transportation, affordable housing, and homelessness. He has been a member of the International City-County Management Association (ICMA) as well as the North Carolina City and County Managers Association since 2004.
Cummings achieved his ICMA Credentialed Manager status in 2021 and is also a 2015 graduate of the UNC School of Government’s Public Executive Leadership Academy. He is a graduate of Harvard University, holding a BA in Government and received his Master’s in Public Policy from the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy.
Cummings comes to us with outstanding references, is very well trained in county administration, and has shown throughout his career that he is a person who has committed himself to getting results. His longevity with Durham County shows that he is willing to ingrain himself in a community and weather a few storms while moving towards a long-range vision of success. As a longtime Durham resident, Mr. Cummings is already familiar with this region and knows the needs and opportunities for success that we have in Granville,” Cozart said.
“I look forward to getting to know the community and staff much better in the coming months as we re-commit ourselves to the goals of responsive, innovative, efficient government and seek to seize the positive out of all the change we have seen over the past few years. It is a true honor.”