A Decade of LEE-dership

Our fearless leader and Executive Director, Lee Worsley celebrates his 10 year anniversary with Central Pines Regional Council this Lee Worsley this month! At the time of his hiring, Jennifer Robinson, Town of Cary, was the Chair of the Board of Delegates and continues to serve on the Board today. Looking back on that experience, she shared, “We hired Lee with confidence that he would be able to help our COG improve its standing in the region. Most notably, he has succeeded in achieving our goal of uniting all governments within our region as members, expanding our value to both our members and our peer organizations, and securing a ‘seat at the table’ in key regional discussions. We are so thankful for Lee and what he has accomplished in ten years.” This sentiment has been echoed by other long-standing Board Members.  

We asked Lee to reflect on his time here and share a few things he's learned over the past 10 years. 

Q: This month, you are reaching the milestone of ten years as Executive Director of Central Pines Regional Council. What has been your biggest lesson about being a regional leader and the skill of regional leadership? How does this look different from your previous role in county leadership?  

A: I think there are a lot of similarities. You are dealing with people and relationships when you are in a leadership position. I have found that building trust, following through, and listening are essential in both county and regional roles.  

One big difference is that regional councils, in North Carolina, are voluntarily membership organizations rather than a County where a person receives services under state law. As a voluntary entity, demonstrating value and working with local governments to meet them where they are is essential and can also present one of the most difficult operational challenges.  

Fifty local government members across seven counties ranging from 200 residents to over 1 million residents mean lots of different needs across a very broad geography. We try to serve everyone, but what we do for one local government can look a lot different from the other. At the same time being part of the regional council is also about making sure that the collective voices of our local governments are heard, and we work regionally to advance everyone. Sometimes that is hard because we are asked “tell me what we get back for what we pay.” That is an understandable sentiment, but being part of a regional council is not always transactional. It's about improving the region, which indirectly impacts our local government. Value can be measured in several different ways.