Board of Commissioners Chair

LeAnn Pierce was elected to serve a four-year term from December 5, 2022, to December 2026. She served as Vice Chair from December 2022 to December 2025. She was elected to serve as Chair of the Board of Commissioners in December 2025.   

 

About LeAnn

Commissioner LeAnn Pierce is the mother of two sons and she has two grandchildren. She was born and raised in neighboring Pender County. LeAnn attended East Carolina University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and became certified in Business and Technical Communications. After college, LeAnn started a small business and spent the next 30 years owning and operating a 62-room hotel in Carolina Beach.

Commissioner Pierce’s path to civic leadership began in 2007 when she joined a grass roots movement to revitalize the blighted downtown area of Carolina Beach which later became commonly known as the Boardwalk Makeover Project. She then served on the Board of Adjustment and the Planning and Zoning Commission. In 2013, LeAnn was elected to the Carolina Beach Town Council for the first time, and she was re-elected in 2017. In 2019, she won a successful bid to become the first female to serve as Mayor for the Town of Carolina Beach. She was instrumental in preserving a 300-acre park in southern New Hanover County known as Freeman Park, negotiating with MOTSU to build The Island Greenway, establishing funding for beach renourishment, and leading the town through Hurricane Florence and the COVID 19 pandemic. In 2021, LeAnn was a finalist in WILMA’s Women to Watch Awards for Public Service. She was elected to the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners in 2022 and has served as Vice Chair since being elected.

Commissioner Pierce brings a unique skillset to the board having served as a beach town Mayor and a small business owner in the hospitality industry. Her understanding of community revitalization, tourism, beach renourishment and public safety make her a well-suited addition. Her priorities include preserving and expanding green space, strengthening county resilience to storms and flooding, improving walking and biking connectivity, protecting parks and natural areas. She is a strong advocate for public schools and law enforcement, along with fiscal discipline, regional partnerships, and responsive governance.

 

New Hanover County Board of Commissioners Representative

• Local Emergency Planning Committee

• New Hanover County Airport Authority

• New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority

• Parks Conservancy of New Hanover County, Inc. Board of Directors

• Wilmington/New Hanover Port, Waterway & Beach Commission