You Got Next! Richard J. White, III

Richard J. White, III,  Town Manager of Elon, NC.
Richard J. White, III, Town Manager of Elon, NC.

Richard J. White, Jr. says of his son, “There was something special about the young Richard III. He displayed a maturity—wise beyond his years. My ‘Little one,’ as I called him, was growing up to be a rather tall young man, and I was excited about that. I figured he would make a great basketball player.

“I played basketball when I attended Stephens-Lee High School,” he continues, “and was inducted into the Stephens-Lee basketball Hall of Fame. Like most fathers, I figured he will be able to play ball like me. [But then] I discovered his skills were not that good, and he didn’t have an interest in the game. I said, ‘Well, he won’t be a Michael Jordan. So he should stick to the books,’ and that’s what he did. I’ll have to admit, the family was happy he did too!” muses the proud father.

Richard III studied very hard and excelled academically. “He never settled for less than high goals for himself,” says his mother, Pat. “He was nominated a Morehead Scholar, and was a recipient of the scholarship. We provided the best for our children and laid a solid foundation. They grew up in church, and were taught core values, self-pride, and discipline.

“I loved to see Richard lead the Asheville High School Band. He was the drum major, and the first one you would see when the band performed. Before becoming drum major he played the saxophone and developed some of his musical talent; however his interest was still focused on his academics,” Pat concluded.

Richard’s older sister Renee also has fond memories of growing up with her brother. “I always noticed that Richard was particularly interested in business matters. When working a part time job during my senior year in high school, I would take my earnings to buy clothes, shoes, or whatever I wanted,” she says.

“Richard said to me one day, ‘Renee, you need to invest your money. Buy some stock, or do something more meaningful with your money.’ I said, ‘It’s my money and you do not tell me how to spend it!’

Now, laughs Renee, “It’s thirty years later, and I realize what he said made a lot of sense. If I hit the lottery for millions, I will let him oversee it all!”

Richard’s career has proven that his academic prowess and serious, business-like demeanor would last long past high school. He graduated from Asheville High in 1985 and received his BA in Political Science from UNC-Chapel Hill; then he earned a Masters in Public Administration from NC State.

He began his professional career in local government with the City of Charlotte, where he served in as Program Manager of the Minority/Women in Business Development Program and, briefly, as Assistant to the City Manager. He then moved to Carrboro, where he served five years as Assistant to the Town Manager.

Richard now serves as Assistant City Manager of Athens, GA, responsible for Administrative and Community Services with the Unified Government. He oversees the directors of eight departments—Finance, Human Resources, Leisure Services, Organizational Development, Central Services, Computer Information Services, Board of Elections, Tax Assessor. In that job he also provides support to the Cooperative Extension agency and has supervised such projects as $14 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding and electric vehicle installation.

Richard will return to North Carolina later this month to start work as the Town Manager of Elon. He and his wife Stacy Mance-White are the proud parents of a daughter, Gabrielle.

And as his father says, “There was always something special about young Richard III.”

“You Got Next!” showcases the talents of Generation X’ers from our region and community. Where they are, what they are doing, and where their gifts and talents have led them.