Rebekah Roth

New Hanover County has a new planning chief.

Officials announced Friday that Rebekah Roth has been named the county's planning and land use director, after serving as interim director since October 2020.

Prior to that, Roth was senior planner for the county for four years and has 13 years of experience in plan development and implementation, according to a county news release.

“Rebekah is a strategic leader whose vision and expertise will continue moving our planning team forward,” said County Manager Chris Coudriet in the release. “She is committed to promoting and protecting our neighborhoods through responsible land use policies and plans, while also enhancing complete communities with a mix of uses and diverse housing types. And she has a keen focus on community engagement and collaboration that will serve our county well.”

Roth led the county's long-range planning team’s implementation of the 2016 Comprehensive Plan and managed the Unified Development Ordinance project to update the county’s development regulations, completed in 2020.

"She has played a senior role in coordinating with community partners to plan for future infrastructure needs, and led efforts to organize and kickoff the County/City Workforce Housing Advisory Committee after it was established," the release stated.

Before working for New Hanover County, Roth served for more than nine years with the town of Burgaw, where she was planning administrator. 

Roth is a certified planner through the American Planning Association’s American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and is a certified zoning official through the NC Association of Zoning Officials.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Peace College and master's degrees in public administration and English, both from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to serve alongside the strong and talented team in our Planning and Land Use Department,” said Roth in the release. “I am ready to continue my work with the community, local developers, Board of Commissioners and Planning Board to achieve New Hanover County’s collective vision.”

The previous New Hanover County planning and land use director was Wayne Clark, who announced his resignation in October 2020 after serving in the post for three years.