FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Former Cumberland County Social Services Director Brenda Reid Jackson has returned as the department’s director effective June 1, 2023, after being selected for the position by the Cumberland County Board of Social Services.

Jackson previously retired as Director of Social Services on January 1, 2022, after 13 years as director. She was brought on as the County’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) Program Manager in February 2022 and served in that role until October 3, 2022, when she was named the Interim Director of Social Services following Social Services Director Heather Skeens being hired as an Assistant County Manager. Jackson was brought on by the Social Services Board to serve as interim director while the Board conducted a search for a new director.

“We are pleased to announce that Brenda Reid Jackson has been selected by the Cumberland County Board of Social Services to serve as the DSS Director effective June 1, 2023,” Board of Social Services Chairman Bill Duke said in an email to DSS staff announcing the selection. “The Board is very appreciative of Ms. Jackson’s willingness to come out of retirement and return to the helm of CCDSS in a full-time capacity.”

Jackson has more than 35 years of experience in human services across North Carolina. In addition to being Cumberland County’s Director of Social Services, Jackson previously served as the County’s General Manager for Human Services. She is a native of Farmville, N.C., and a graduate of East Carolina University. She was named 2018 Director of the Year by the North Carolina Association of County Directors of Social Services (NCACDSS).

The Cumberland County Department of Social Services is one of the largest county social services departments in North Carolina. The department has more than 700 employees and a fiduciary budget of more than $600 million. For more information on the Cumberland County Department of Social Services, visit cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/dss-group/department-of-social-services.

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