Waynesville’s search for a new town manager took a bit longer than expected, but by all accounts, finding a permanent administrator was worth the wait.
Late last month, the town announced that it’d hired Haywood County native Amie Owens for the job, someone who brings a wealth of experience and love for this community that elected officials hope will translate to results.
Although she hasn’t worked in the county for the better part of a decade, Owens always knew in the back of her mind that she’d return.
“This is where my whole family’s from, and you always want to give back to the place that actually helped build you, and coming from a family that’s full of public servants, that’s just part of how I was raised,” she said.
Owens holds a master’s in public affairs from Western Carolina University, where she graduated with a 4.00 GPA, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration with distinction from Montreat College. She is an International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Credentialed Manager and a Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional.
Owens began her career working as a deputy clerk to Haywood County’s board of commissioners and executive assistant to the county manager before moving to municipal government with Waynesville, where she rose through the ranks to assistant town manager. In 2020, she worked for the town of Alta Vista, Virginia, before taking her first town manager job with Franklin in September 2021.
She is happy with what she was able to help Franklin accomplish during her tenure, and elected officials seem to feel overwhelmingly positive about the work she did.
Jack Horton was on town council when Owens was hired and served as mayor from December 2021 to the end of last year. He also previously worked as the Haywood County Manager, which gives him unique insight into the demands of high-level administrative work. Horton said he was impressed with Owens during the hiring process in 2021.
“We decided that based on her qualifications and knowledge of the area and ability to actually formulate plans, set goals, meet objectives, and get things accomplished was really what we were looking for, and she absolutely did all of that,” Horton said. “I know with her potential, she would be sought after since she proved herself”
“In all my experience, she is one of the most dedicated and hardworking and proficient managers I’ve known,” he added.
Former Waynesville Town Manager Rob Hites announced in February that he’d retire after about 10 years on the job, kicking off a hiring process that went on longer than initially intended. The town partnered with Development Associates to interview candidates.
Because the town was looking to hire around budget season — the time that the town manager’s experience and focus are most needed — it initially had trouble finding the right candidate — qualified individuals simply weren’t looking to leave their current positions. Despite some rumors to the contrary that emerged once Hites announced his retirement, Owens said she didn’t initially apply for that reason.
“I’ll be honest, I told the mayor and a couple of the council members that no manager worth their salt would change positions during the budget process,” Owens told The Smoky Mountain News. “That’s just too confusing, and it puts too much stress on the staff.”
Waynesville Mayor Gary Caldwell said that initial round of applicants was underwhelming, both in quantity and quality.
“We got them were nowhere near what we were looking for,” he said.
In the meantime, Waynesville had to find a couple of pinch hitters to bridge the gap so the town could attract more qualified applicants later in the summer. The town announced that Page McCurry would serve as interim town manager from June 11 through July 6, at which point Rick Howell took over. He has since served in that role.
Owens said that when she had the chance to apply for the Waynesville job after budget season, she didn’t hesitate. But Town Council Member Chuck Dickson said the town also attracted other qualified candidates the second go-round, so competition was stiff.
“We were very happy that she applied and all that, but we remained objective until the end,” Dickson said.
The town picked five candidates to advance to an interview phase that included two days of role-playing scenarios based on the town’s current or expected challenges. There were also assessments of intangible abilities like dealing with employees and facilitating meetings.
Developmental Associates specializes in assessment of emotional intelligence, which the company claims drives organizational success. Candidates were graded throughout the process by a team of about 10 current town managers from regional municipalities including Sylva, Murphy, and Weaverville. The team was led by a psychologist who evaluated candidates’ emotional intelligence.
The town eventually narrowed the process down to Owens and one other candidate. Both were asked to create a presentation on a complicated issue like administrators so often do ahead of meetings. They were also subject to another battery of questions based on the team’s observations during the scenarios.
Owens said she went through the same process before becoming Franklin’s town manager.
“The process is very comprehensive,” she said. “The whole point is, if you’re going to pay a consultant to help find a town manager, you want someone who’s going to stay, and you want to make sure they’re going to be a good fit.”
This time, Owens emerged as Waynesville’s best candidate. Her first day on the job will be Nov. 10. In the meantime, she’s worked with Developmental Associates to discuss what they determined are her strengths and weaknesses. She has also spent a couple of days debriefing with Howell to get up to speed on the challenges that await.
Dickson said he looks forward to bringing Owens onboard, filling other vacancies, improving organization, and working to determine the town’s long-term goals, including the development of a five-year plan.
“We need to set a vision for ourselves,” he said.
A good town manager can exact the will of the board in a way that is compliant with myriad laws and regulations but also bold and ambitious. Dickson and Caldwell both said they think Owens is the right person to shepherd that effort.
“We’re ready to get started,” Caldwell said.
Owens feels up to the task and thinks she won’t have too much trouble adjusting. In fact, she still has her house in Haywood County. That said, she is acutely aware of the new challenges that await, as Waynesville is over twice the size of Franklin and offers municipal services like trash collection and management of Green Hill Cemetery that she must learn.
“I feel like every manager wants that next step and that next challenge,” she said. “Being able to essentially go back home to do that, I think, is going to make my transition a little easier.”