MEET DEXTER MATTHEWS

Candidate for Beaufort Town Commissioner

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

• Born in Fayetteville, NC
• Married to Ann Matthews, two children and three grandchildren
• Permanent resident of Beaufort for over 6 ½ years

EDUCATION

• East Carolina University, Bachelor of Science, Environmental Health 1982

• East Carolina University, Master of Science, Environmental Health 1985

WORK EXPERIENCE

30 Years in the Public Sector. I served the last thirteen years at the Governor’s pleasure, through Democratic and Republican Administrations, retiring as Director of the NC Division of Waste Managment, Department of Environmental Quality. In that role, I managed 278 staff with a budget of 85 million including state appropriations, federal grants, and fees. The specific programs within the division I managed were hazardous waste management, solid waste management, underground storage tanks, superfund (contaminated site cleanups), and the brownfield program (contaminated site redevelopment). Upon retirement, I was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine for my state service by then Governor Pat McCrory.

10+ Years in the Private Sector. Immediately after retiring from thirteen years of service to the State of North Carolina at the Governor's pleasure, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, I established a consulting/government relations firm lobbying for a state association representing local government solid waste directors and private waste management firms before the NC General Assembly. I also provided consulting services to Liberty Tire Recycling, the largest waste tire collection and recycling firm in North America. After a year of consulting with Liberty Tire Recycling, I was hired by the company’s CEO as Vice-President of Government Relations and Environment Affairs. The company has 4,000 employees and 51 collection and processing facilities across the US and in Canada. In that role, it was vital to understand the business operations of the company to represent them before state legislatures across the country, in Congress, and with state and federal regulatory officials. I retired from Liberty Tire Recycling in December of 2024.

COMMITTEES/BOARDS

• Beaufort Waterfront Operations and Finance Committee

• East Carolina University Advisory Board (Executive Committee) Center for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering

COMMUNITY MEMBERSHIPS

• Ann Street United Methodist Church

• Beaufort Historic Association

• Friends of the Maritime Museum

• Arts Council of Carteret County