Mayfield stepping down as MountainTrue director
Julie Mayfield is stepping down as co-director of MountainTrue after serving alongside co-director Bob Wagner since 2013. Prior to that, she had worked as executive director of the organization then known as the Western North Carolina Alliance since 2008.
In an open letter, Mayfield said the decision was due to the demands of serving in the N.C. Senate following her election in 2020 but that she was proud of the strides MountainTrue had made during her years at the helm. In 2008, the WNC Alliance had five employees and a budget of $232,000. MountainTrue now has a team of 25 and a budget of $1.8 million.
“I find the work of representing my constituents and, more broadly, the people of North Carolina to be deeply rewarding,” she wrote. “However, my growing responsibilities in Raleigh and within the Senate Democratic Caucus leadership don’t leave me with the time I need to maintain my day-to-day management responsibilities at MountainTrue.”
Mayfield is leaving her executive role but will continue to work with MountainTrue as a senior policy advisor. Wagner will assume the executive director role, and current staff members Gray Jernigan and Karim Olaechea will move into deputy director positions to support Wagner and lead the rest of the staff. The changes will take effect in January.
