Leader Q&A: Becky Hawke

BECKY HAWKE started as Wilmington’s city manager this summer.

Hawke, who was hired after a national search for the position began June 30, following the retirement of longtime city manager Tony Caudle.

She comes to Wilmington from Matthews, North Carolina, where she served as town manager and, previously, as assistant town manager since 2016.
Before moving to Matthews, Hawke spent more than nine years working in local government in Virginia, where she served in executive roles for the town of Christiansburg and city of Radford.

Hawke talks about moving to Wilmington and her new role as the city’s top administrator.

What led you to a career in local government?

“After realizing I did not want to pursue a career in investigative journalism as I had intended throughout my undergraduate studies, I spent a little over a year researching different career options and graduate programs.

I knew I wanted to use my degree in communications studies, and I knew I wanted to help people, but nothing seemed quite right. I’d never considered local government until I stumbled on a job ad for a communications coordinator/grant writer for the city of Radford, Virginia.

It was the perfect fit for my career objectives at the time, and working for a small locality opened up tremendously diverse opportunities to learn and take on new challenges, mainly because I was willing to volunteer and there was nobody else to do it.

It’s now going on two decades, and I still find the work interesting, challenging – and most importantly – rewarding.”

Why did you want to apply for the role of Wilmington’s city manager?

“I have long admired Wilmington and always enjoyed my time when I’ve visited in the past. The opportunity to be the city manager here meant taking on a bigger organization than I’ve previously led, but there were many parallels between Wilmington and Matthews that made this feel like the right next step for me.

Both communities are grappling with growth and traffic congestion, both are trying to retain the character that made them desirable in the first place while not cutting off opportunities for desirable new investment, both have committed staff who want to provide a high level of service to the community, etc.

While I found a great deal of success in Matthews, I’m excited to have the opportunity to learn and understand Wilmington’s unique challenges and play a key role in helping find the best solutions that work here.”

What are some of your goals coming into the position?

“Learning and understanding the ins and the outs of the organization and community is my primary focus: What makes things tick? What’s working well? Where are the pain points that may need addressing?

Using that as a foundation, my goal will then be to work with staff to deliver council’s vision for the city while also finding new opportunities to streamline operations and continue to provide high levels of service to the community.

I also want to ensure that Wilmington is an employer of choice because retaining and being able to recruit high-quality employees makes it that much easier to deliver what our community needs as efficiently and professionally as possible.”

 What are a few of your key accomplishments from previous roles?

“As the town manager in Matthews, I put a great deal of focus on becoming an employer of choice – meaning we became much more competitive with our salaries, built new opportunities for professional growth and development, developed a positive work culture with increased accountability and recognition, and made sure we had the right people in the right seats – all of which paid dividends when it came to recruitment and retention.

I was also proud to play a key role in the creation of several unique partnerships, including one between the town, Central Piedmont Community College, and Hendrick Automotive that will bring in excess of $1 billion in advanced manufacturing investment, along with a $117 million public safety training facility to Matthews – all at no cost to the town.

Another great partnership was between the town, Discovery Place Inc., and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools that will see the co-location of a Discovery Place Children’s Museum and new elementary school, situated next to a new signature downtown park space. It will be transformative for the downtown area, and the town will save approximately 50% on construction costs of the museum compared to building it on our own to house the museum.”

How would you describe your leadership style?

“I would predominantly describe myself as a servant leader. I am a firm believer that if we take care of our employees – to include competitive compensation and benefits, ample training and development opportunities, setting clear expectations, recognizing and rewarding good performance, creating and maintaining an inclusive and respectful work environment for all, etc. – 99% of what we need to do will get done and be done well.

I also enjoy leading with a mindset toward process improvement and finding transformative and innovative ways to solve the challenges that face my organization and community.”

To view more of photographer Terah Hoobler’s work, go to terahhoobler.com.

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