Charla Duncan has been appointed permanent executive director of the Warren County Economic Development Commission, according to information from County Manager Vincent Jones.

Duncan has served for the past seven months as interim director, but the county’s board of commissioners approved Jones’s recommendation in a work session April 21.

A Warren County native, Duncan brings private sector and public sector experience to the position. She has chaired the county arts council and previously served on the tourism committee and is past executive director of the local Chamber of Commerce. She was grants coordinator and management analyst in Granville County before becoming interim EDC director.

She has a bachelor’s degree from UNC-Greensboro and a master’s of public administration from New York University.

She said she looks forward to helping her home county realize value-added economic development.

“I am excited to bring a perspective to the economic development team that is a new one for us—born and raised here, graduate of Warren County public schools, female, millennial, daughter of a small business owner,” Duncan stated. “It’s a new combination of perspectives for this role in our community, and I look to be an asset to our county’s progress.”

Duncan added, “I am looking forward to not just building an environment for successful business attraction and growth, but also working to grow the economic health and vitality of our residents.”

In her free time, Duncan enjoys renovating her family home in Wise, riding her bike or going to the gym, spending time with family and friends, and volunteering in the community.