WS Chronicle

City Manager Lee Garrity has announced the appointments of Damon Dequenne and Evan Raleigh as assistant city managers, effective Monday, July 2.

Dequenne (pronounced deh-cane) currently is the deputy director for the City-County Utilities Division. He will oversee the Office of Emergency Management, the Utilities and Engineering divisions, and the Fire, Planning and Development Services, and Transportation departments.

Raleigh currently serves as the director of business inclusion and advancement. He will be responsible for economic development, business inclusion and advancement, human relations, workforce development, CityLink, intergovernmental relations, community assistance, and the Mayor’s Poverty Thought Force.

Garrity said that Dequenne and Raleigh are proven leaders. “They both have superb people skills,” Garrity said. “But more significantly – for the citizens of Winston-Salem – they both have a track record of coming up with innovative solutions, and they both have a strong sense of urgency when it comes to getting tasks accomplished.”

Prior to joining the city in 2011, Dequenne served as the water resources director and public works director for Buckeye, Arizona. He has a bachelor’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and served in the U.S. Navy for six years. Dequenne lives in Winston-Salem and is married with four children. His salary will be $136,000 a year.

“I am honored to be extended the opportunity to serve our community in this capacity and will make every effort to continue the strong leadership and service delivery of my predecessors,” Dequenne said.

Raleigh joined the city in 2011 as a management analyst. He later served as assistant to the city manager and as the deputy community development director before assuming his current position. He has a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University and master’s degrees from Wake Forest and the University of Michigan. Raleigh lives in Winston-Salem and is married. His salary will be $136,000 a year.

“I’m incredibly humbled by and appreciative of the opportunity to serve the community in this capacity,” Raleigh said. “I look forward to working with the mayor, members of City Council, citizens and all of the incredibly dedicated and hard-working members of city staff to continue our efforts to build Winston-Salem into a model community.”