[Durham INC] City of Durham Announces New Budget and Equity & Inclusion Directors

[City of Durham Communications]

[Title: City of Durham Communications Department]
News Media Contact
Amy Blalock, Assistant Director
919.560.4123 x11253 | 919.475.7735 (mobile)
Amy.Blalock at DurhamNC.gov
News Release
For Immediate Release: January 10, 2022

City of Durham Announces New Budget and Equity & Inclusion Directors

DURHAM, N.C. - City Manager Wanda Page has named John Allore as the new director of the Budget & Management Services Department<https://durhamnc.gov/199/Budget-Management-Services> and Sharon Williams as the new director of the Equity & Inclusion Department<https://durhamnc.gov/606/Equity-Inclusion-Department>.

Allore has served as the interim director of the Budget and Management Services Department since March 2021, when former Director Bertha Johnson was asked to serve as interim deputy city manager followed by her appointment as the deputy city manager of the Operations departments in August 2021. Prior to serving as the interim director, Allore has been the assistant director of the department since 2009. Before joining the Budget and Management Services Department, Allore served as the treasury manager, investment portfolio administrator, and an accountant in the City's Finance Department from 1999 to 2009.

"I am very proud to join Durham's senior leadership team, and I am looking forward to leading our budget team through these dynamic times," said Allore. "The City's annual budget actively reflects the needs of the Durham community, City Council, and City staff alike. It's honor to assist in the City's overall financial management, which funds the delivery of so many vital services and programs that our community relies upon every day."

Over the course of his 23-year career with the City, Allore has been responsible for the development and oversight of the City's $601 million annual budget and $241 million capital improvement program (CIP). He manages 17 staff in the execution of the annual budget, capital planning, financial reporting, program evaluation, participatory budgeting, and the Office of Performance and Innovation which houses strategic planning, performance management, the annual resident satisfaction survey, and continuous improvement initiatives. Some of Allore's accomplishments include developing the City's 10-year fundable capital improvement program model for financial forecasting and participating in the development of a Racial Equity Tool to evaluate departmental budget and CIP requests.

Allore received his Master of Public Administration in Justice Administration from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. and his Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. He is a member of the North Carolina Local Government Budgeting Association, Municipal Treasurers' Association, a certified property tax collector, and a certified cash handler.


Williams has served as manager of the Racial Equity and Inclusion Division of the City's Equity & Inclusion Department since 2019. As manager of this division, she led citywide efforts to look within all aspects of City government to closely examine policies, practices, budget allocations, and programs that may perpetuate institutional racism and systemic inequities. Before joining the Equity & Inclusion Department, Williams served as the manager for Onboarding, Professional Development, and Employee Relations in the City's Human Resources Department from 2015 to 2019. Her appointment to director follows the retirement of former Director Deborah Giles in December 2021.



"I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as the director of Equity and Inclusion for the City of Durham. The City understands that government must play a role in righting historical and systemic inequities that government played a role in creating. The commitment exists to own the past, make changes in the present and hold ourselves accountable for advancing racial equity moving forward," Williams said. "I am excited about the prospects for the future, especially the opportunity to embed equity into the fabric of our organization and create meaningful and measurable results for employees and residents."



Working with employees from across the City, Williams launched the City's first racial equity survey, developed the City's first Racial Equity Action Plan, introduced a racial equity decision making model, and advanced the rollout of racial equity training for all City employees.



Prior to joining the City, Williams worked as a program director in Executive Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) beginning in 2004. In this role, Williams designed, developed, and implemented learning experiences for corporate clients. After six years, Williams left UNC-CH and started a fitness-focused business where she served as chief operating officer for five years.


Williams received her bachelor and master degrees in Business from Webster University. She is also a certified dismantling racism facilitator and executive coach. In addition, Williams is certified in Crucial Conversations, Benchmarks for Executives, Myer's Briggs Type Indicator, and People Map.


Both appointments for Allore and Williams are effective immediately.

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