On Thursday, July 17, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to name Assistant County Manager Victor Isler as the new county manager – a decision that Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Skip Alston said would bring widespread excitement immediately to county employees.
Isler steps into the top job following the abrupt resignation of former County Manager Mike Halford last month.
Alston said the board considered whether to do a national search but quickly realized it already had the right person in-house.
“We talked about doing a search in the back room,” Alston told The Rhino Times after a two-hour closed session Thursday night in which the board made the decision. “But we said, what are we searching for? Do we really think we’re going to find somebody better than Victor? Someone who already knows the employees, already has their respect, already has a working relationship with every commissioner?”
Alston added that Isler knows where the buildings and bathrooms are in Guilford County government.
The decision was unanimous – with commissioners from both parties and across racial lines all giving their full backing to Isler.
Commissioner Pat Tillman wasn’t at the meeting because he is a member of the National Guard and he was in another part of the country helping people during his two-week stint of service this summer.
Alston, who has worked with Isler closely over the past several years, had no shortage of praise for Isler.
“He’s a professional’s professional,” Alston said. “Very articulate, very engaged, and smart as hell. I’m surprised we kept him this long to be honest with you.”
Isler has served as assistant county manager over the “Successful People” portfolio, overseeing a wide swath of departments including Public Health, Social Services, Behavioral Health, the Family Justice Center, Child Support, Court Services, and Veterans Services.
In that role, he supervised more employees than any other assistant county manager – and by all accounts did it well.
“You know how I know he’s doing a good job?” Alston said. “Because I don’t get any complaints. And believe me, I get complaints when people are unhappy. But with Victor, nothing. Not one bad remark.”
Alston said one thing that stood out was how Isler handled a recent transition at the Family Justice Center after a fire closed the downtown Greensboro building where the center is housed.
“He kept us up to date every step of the way,” Alston said. “Not just once a day – two or three times a day. That’s something we hadn’t had before.”
Alston was also impressed by Isler’s early outreach to county staff after becoming interim county manager last month.
“On his first day, he got on Zoom with just about every department head in the county,” Alston said. “That was the largest gathering like that we’ve had in a long time. It tells me he’s connected with the employees – and they’re connected with him.”
Even more telling, Alston said, has been the consistent feedback from employees – or rather, the lack of complaints.
“I’ve been around a long time,” Alston said. “I hear it when people aren’t happy. But in all this time, I haven’t heard anything bad about Victor. That tells me everything I need to know.”
One thing that really struck the chairman was that Isler had participated directly in the county’s annual count of the homeless – hitting the streets himself as part of a team.
“That’s the kind of hands-on leadership we need,” Alston said. “He’s been leading on our homeless task force, helping get the Continuum of Care back on track. That’s been a mess for years, and now we’re really making progress.”
In recent years, Isler has played a central role in helping the county bring in new funds and organize its fragmented homelessness response system. As the collaborative applicant for the Continuum of Care – the federal funding mechanism for homelessness programs – Guilford County had long struggled with gaps in accountability and cooperation among local agencies.
Alston said Isler helped change that.
“We’re finally in a position where things are clicking,” he said. “He got in there and straightened it out. That’s leadership.”
Before joining Guilford County, Isler served as the director of social services in Forsyth County – the largest department there – and brought a strong reputation for collaboration and innovation. His resume includes everything from creating a foster care clinic with Duke Health to leading efforts to secure federal workforce development funds for food and nutrition recipients.
He holds three degrees – a bachelor’s in sociology from Winston-Salem State, a master’s in social work from a joint N.C. A&T/UNC-Greensboro program, and a master’s in health administration from Pfeiffer University.
He also earned public leadership credentials from Georgetown and UNC-Chapel Hill.
While in Guilford County, Isler helped the county win national recognition from the National Association of Counties (NACo), receiving back-to-back awards in 2023 and 2024 for best in health and human services.
Alston said Isler’s experience, passion, and leadership were impossible to ignore.
“He’s got enthusiasm and vision,” Alston said. “He’s got the respect of the people who work for him and the people he works with. And that’s what we need in a county manager.”
Isler will earn $315,000 per year in his new role.
He and his wife, Dr. Malika Roman Isler, assistant vice president at Wake Forest University, are the parents of three children.
“He’s rooted in the community,” Alston added. “His family’s here, his work is here, and his heart is clearly in Guilford County.”
The chairman also noted that this was the first time he could recall such a seamless and unified decision for a county leadership role of this magnitude. He said black and white commissioners, male and female, and Democratic and Republican commissioners all agreed on this one.
“I’ve been through a lot of searches,” Alston said. “And I’ve never seen a decision this easy – or this unanimous. We didn’t need to spend $75,000 to find somebody else who’s not going to know the county, not going to know the employees, and not going to have that instant trust.”
“It’s a good day for Guilford County,” Alston added. “We’re lucky to have him.”
