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Phyllis Nowlen, CMC, NCMCCClerk to the Board of County Commissioners
Cleveland County
311 E. Marion Street, Shelby, NC 28150
O: (704) 484-4766 C: (704) 418-0424
www.clevelandcounty.com
Phyllis.nowlen@clevelandcountync.gov
The Clerk to the Board of Commissioners is appointed and duly sworn into official public office by the Board of County Commissioners as specified by North Carolina General Statutes.
The Clerk to the Board acts as the official administrative officer for the County Commissioners. The Clerk is responsible for preparing and maintaining agendas, Minutes, ordinances, oaths, and all other official records of the Board, attesting to certifiable actions of the Board, including contractual agreements, road petitions, resolutions, proclamations, and other documents necessary for Board actions and general county business.
The Clerk also manages public notices and meeting schedules to ensure compliance with North Carolina’s open meetings and public records laws. This role also requires coordinating with county staff, other elected officials, assisting Commissioners in fulfilling their responsibilities, and serving as a point of access for citizens seeking information about county government.
Phyllis Nowlen was appointed Cleveland County’s Clerk to the Board in May 2017 and currently serves as President of the North Carolina Association of County Clerks. In her statewide leadership role, she contributes to six subcommittees of the Association, serving as Chair of both the Bylaws Committee and the Scholarship Committee, while also serving on the Clerk’s Reference Guide, Communications, Fundraising, and State Certification Committees.
Ms. Nowlen is certified as a North Carolina Master County Clerk (NCMCC) through the North Carolina Association of County Clerks and as a Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) through the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC).
Her career in local government began in 2002 in Central Florida, where she served as an E-911 dispatcher and Field Training Officer before being promoted to Training Assistant at the Institute of Public Safety Training Academy. During that time, she served on the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) and was certified as both a state background investigator and general instructor.
Ms. Nowlen graduated Magna Cum Laude from Vincennes University and has dedicated more than two decades of service to public safety and local government, combining her professional expertise with a strong commitment to community and civic leadership.
