Assistant County Manager Mark L. Foster
Mark L. Foster is the assistant county manager for financial services. In this role, Mark provides oversight for the Financial Services Department, the Office of the Tax Collector, and Information Technology. In addition to these duties, he leads the County’s enterprise risk management strategy and is accountable for financial planning and compliance throughout the organization.
Mark has over 25 years of financial management experience in both public and private sectors. For the past 11 years, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation; a $4 billion state agency. Prior to that Mark held an upward succession of finance, accounting, and HR administration roles at Ryder System, Inc. and ran his own CFO consulting practice.
He served on the Board of Trustees for the State Retirement System and currently sits on the Audit Committee for the NC State Employees’ Credit Union. Mark earned his BBA in finance from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also holds the designation of Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Mark is married with two children.
Mark's Work Plan
Assistant County Manager Leslie Johnson
Leslie Johnson is assistant county manager for Sustainable Communities. In this role Leslie provides executive oversight of the Land Use and Environmental Services Agency, which includes Code Enforcement, Air Quality, Solid Waste and Recycling, Water and Land Resources, and Environmental Health. She also provides executive oversight to Park and Recreation, Economic Development Services, and the County’s strategic planning and evaluation initiatives. Leslie collaborates with County agencies and community business partners in developing and executing strategies associated with workforce development and literacy. She is liaison to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Historic Landmark Commission, and Centralina Council of Governments. As a member of the Executive Team, she shares responsibility for overall County executive administration.
Leslie joined Mecklenburg County in 2001 as director of planning and evaluation. She was promoted to associate general manager in 2011 and assistant county manager in 2014.
Leslie holds a doctor of philosophy degree with a concentration in housing policy and research from Virginia Tech. She also earned a master's degree in urban and regional planning with a multi-focus on planning/management methods and community development and physical planning, and a bachelor of architecture degree from Virginia Tech.
Leslie's Work Plan
Assistant County Manager/Chief of Staff Derrick Ramos
Derrick Ramos is the Assistant County Manager/Chief of Staff. He is responsible for oversight and management of the operations of the County Manager’s Office, including the Board of County Commissioners and legislative affairs and four County departments: Asset and Facility Management, Human Resources, Criminal Justice Services, and the Medical Examiner's Office.
Prior to accepting the position at Mecklenburg County in October 2017, Ramos served as the deputy chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. He is also the former director of legislative affairs and senior advisor for the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and served as a senior congressional affairs specialist at the National Nuclear Security Administration.
Ramos holds an MBA from The Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School and a bachelor of arts in political science and international studies from Texas A&M University.
Derrick's Work Plan
Assistant County Manager Anthony Trotman
Assistant County Manager Anthony Trotman joined the County in September 2015.
Trotman oversees the County’s health and human services agency that includes social services, public health, child support enforcement and the community support services departments. He manages approximately 2,000 employees and an annual budget of $270 million.
Trotman has more than 15 years of health and human services experience in state and local government. For the five years prior to coming to Mecklenburg County, he served as the Director of the Department of Job and Family Services for Franklin County, Ohio. He also managed and enhanced service delivery for three community-based centers, as well as collaborating with non-profit agencies and other governments.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in management from Bellevue University and a master’s degree in health services administration from Central Michigan University. He also has a project management certification from Boston University and is a 10-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
Anthony's Work Plan