Assistant Secretary for Employment Security Dempsey Benton
Dempsey E. Benton began his career in public service 43 years ago in Rocky Mount, N.C. He has served the people of North Carolina in many capacities since, including as Director of N.C. Economic Recovery and Reinvestment, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Chief Deputy Secretary of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Before beginning work at the state level, Benton spent 18 years managing the City of Raleigh.
Benton has received numerous accolades for his work in the public sector including National Awards for Parks and Recreation Programs as well as acknowledgment from the EPA concerning his ability to manage large natural resource operations. He shares his expertise with many local environmental and business groups as well as several international organizations helping developing areas create proper utilities infrastructure for sustainable growth. Benton brings a wealth of managerial know-how and efficiency to the Division of Employment Security.
Benton graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 1967. He later returned to earn a Master’s in Public Administration in 1971 and once again to graduate from the Government Executives Institute within the School of Business. He lives in Raleigh with his wife Barbara, a retired public school teacher.