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Buncombe County welcomes Rafael Baptista as Performance Management Director. Baptista joins the County leadership team with an accomplished background in strategic planning and performance analysis. Baptista will be responsible for oversight of the strategic planning process, data analysis, business planning process, and development of performance metrics for all County departments to ensure alignment with the County’s vision and strategic plan.
Baptista most recently served as Senior Manager for Community Economic Development for the City of Raleigh and prior to that in strategic planning and performance management roles with the City of Raleigh, Durham County, and the City of Durham. He is a member of the International City/County Management Association, International Economic Development Council, and was recognized by the City of Raleigh City Manager’s Office as 2020 Departmental Employee of Year.
“Rafael’s dynamic background in strategic planning and equity in economic development efforts will benefit the community as we develop and design performance metrics and indicators that will ensure the public can track and evaluate our progress toward our 2025 goals,” said Assistant County Manager Sybil Tate.
“I am looking forward to supporting the implementation of the Buncombe County 2025 Strategic Plan, and exploring opportunities to use strategy, performance data, and innovative thinking to help Buncombe County best serve the community,” notes Baptista.
He is slated to start on Sept. 21, 2020.
Professional Bio
Rafael Baptista currently serves as the Senior Manager for Community Economic Development for the City of Raleigh leading a team tasked with supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs with a focus on equity. Prior to that role, Rafael served in strategic planning and performance management roles with the City of Raleigh, Durham County, and the City of Durham. In those roles, Rafael designed and managed award-winning innovation and performance management programs.
Rafael holds a Masters in Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelors in Politics from Willamette University. In his free time, Rafael volunteers as a Disaster Action Team supervisor with the American Red Cross and works as a NCAA Division 1 soccer referee.