Jessica Loeper named newest Assistant County Manager

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Jessica Loeper has been selected to serve as Assistant County Manager for New Hanover County.

Loeper has been the county’s Chief Communications Officer since 2019 and has worked for New Hanover County Communications & Outreach since 2016.

“Over the last seven years, Jessica has been at the forefront of guiding our county in communicating the initiatives, resources and ongoing projects that serve and enhance the quality of life in our community,” County Manager Chris Coudriet said. “Her leadership and breadth of knowledge about the work of New Hanover County is unmatched and we are excited to have her serving in this new role as an Assistant County Manager.”

Loeper will work alongside Coudriet with current Assistant County Managers Tufanna Bradley and Lisa Wurtzbacher to manage the departments and services offered by New Hanover County. She will oversee Planning & Land Use, Soil & Water, Parks & Gardens, Arboretum, Recycling & Solid Waste, Cape Fear Museum and Public Library.

“I am humbled to have this opportunity to continue serving our Board of Commissioners and the citizens of New Hanover County as an Assistant County Manager,” Loeper said. “For the last seven years, I’ve been fortunate to develop relationships with so many people throughout our community and within our organization, as our communications team collaborated to share the important work going on in the county. I look forward to continuing to build those relationships and work alongside our amazing county staff to provide our citizens with the best resources and services available.”

Loeper’s promotion to Assistant County Manager will fill the vacancy resulting from Deputy County Manager Tim Burgess’ retirement at the end of March. Burgess worked for New Hanover County for 11 years, with 27 total years of service in the state.