Courtney Meece

Community Health Manager/Healthy Rowan Executive Director, Rowan County Health Department

Native of Rowan County

Industry: Public Health

Courtney Meece is proud of her home county’s work to build community and comradery and points to the new Bell Tower Green Park as a great example of that. It’s her favorite outdoor space. 

“I love that you can go by any time of day, any day of the week, and there are always people there from all walks of life, engaging with each other,” she says. “With COVID, people have been so isolated, and we live in a time where communities are so divided. It’s refreshing to see people engaged with each other.”

Courtney says that Rowan County has much to offer “from history, agriculture, education, ample recreational opportunities, several opportunities for people to be involved in the arts, many, many non-profits, a culturally diverse population that is celebrated and included, ALL this while maintaining that small-town feel.”

Courtney attended South Rowan schools before leaving Rowan to pursue a bachelor’s degree at Appalachian State University and then a master’s degree in Public Health at UNC-Greensboro. After graduation, she knew that she wanted to use her education to improve the health of her home county and began working with local non-profits, such as YSUP Rowan, before switching to local government work at the health department. 

In her work, she has opportunities to regularly engage with the community, one of her favorite things. She oversees health education at the health department, including programs that engage with the community, and is Executive Director of Healthy Rowan, the community coalition that addresses community health needs. Her responsibilities include health needs assessments, built from data collected in the community, and worksite wellness. In her roles in public health, she sees firsthand how much local leaders and elected officials care about the people of Rowan County and their health and well-being. 

Aside from work, she says that she loves being out in the community with her husband, Clint, and their two dogs, Boone and Ranger. The couple, both Rowan County natives, enjoy supporting local non-profits at various fund-raising events and volunteering. She is a member of the Granite Quarry Parks, Events & Recreation Committee, the Cooperative Extension Advisory Board, Leadership Rowan, and YSUP Rowan, a coalition that works to prevent substance abuse. 

“I love how so many families have stayed in Rowan, generation after generation, and how they have created a lineage that can be traced back throughout local history,” she says.

Her favorite restaurant is Go Burrito with its three levels of seating. “Each level has a different vibe,” she says. “Downstairs is family oriented. Upstairs with the bar is more like nightlife. From the rooftop, you can see all downtown Salisbury.”

The Dragon Boat Festival on High Rock Lake is her favorite annual event. “I have paddled for two years with the Young Professionals, affiliated with the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce. I am an extremely competitive person, and I really love the friendly competition and I love being on the lake. Putting competition and water together is so much fun, and it gives people an opportunity to engage with each other.”

She defines the county slogan, Be an Original,™ as “being someone who embraces the diversity of their community by celebrating the various beliefs and lifestyles of those around them.”

She would tell newcomers to the area to spend a Saturday downtown, shopping, going to parks, visiting New Sarum brewery, getting coffee. “I love Saturdays in Salisbury,” she says. “People are always out and about, enjoying all there is to offer.”