Current County Commissioners 

    Scroll down to find biographical and contact information for the Chatham County Board of Commissioners.

    • Karen Howard, District 1, Vice Chair
    • Mike Dasher, District 2, Chair
    • David Delaney, District 3
    • Katie Kenlan, District 4
    • Franklin Gomez Flores, District 5

    Vice Chair: Karen Howard (District 1)

    Karen Howard - Head Shot

    Mailing Address: P. O. Box 1809, Pittsboro, NC 27312
    Phone: 919-545-8540
    Email: karen.howard@chathamcountync.gov

    Elected as county commissioner in 2014, Karen Howard is a former attorney who lives in Northeast Chatham with her two youngest sons. She also had four adult children living in Washington DC, Chapel Hill and The Bahamas, and a granddaughter in Texas. Commissioner Howard served as a member of the Chatham County Board of Education from 2012-2014 and Chair of the Board from 2013-2014.

    Commissioner Howard previously served on the Admissions Committee for UNC Kenan-Flagler’s MBA@UNC program and was a member of the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners from 2017-2024 serving as co-Chair of the Presidential Initiative, Pathways for Disconnected Youth, co-Chair of the By-Laws Committee and most recently as co-Chair of the Legislative Goals Committee. Commissioner Howard is currently serving as a facilitator for the NCACC's statewide Foster Youth Inappropriate Placement working group. 

    Born in New York, Commissioner Howard spent much of her childhood in the Bahamas. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English from Georgetown University and a LLB in Law from the University of Buckingham in England. She was called to the Bar of England & Wales and The Bahamas Bar in 1992. 

    In addition to serving as Chair of the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization, Commissioner Howard also serves on the Governor’s Crime Commission, and the Central Carolina Community College Board of Trustees and is currently the liaison to the following boards and committees:

    • Board of Education
    • Community Child Fatality and Protection Team
    • Library Advisory Committee
    • County Commissioner Advisory Board for Vaya (voting member)
    Mike Dasher

    Chair: Mike Dasher (District 2)

    Mailing Address: PO Box 1809, Pittsboro, NC 27312
    Phone:  919-530-9511
    Email: mike.dasher@chathamcountync.gov

    Sworn in on Dec. 5, 2016. Originally from Ohio, Mike moved to North Carolina at the age of 12. After college, he served in the AmeriCorps program with Habitat for Humanity, and went on to work with several nonprofit affordable housing providers in the Triangle area.

    A 14-year resident of Chatham County, Mike was elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2016.

    Mike is a graduate of Barton College, where he earned degrees in Political Science and Finance. He owns and operates a small business developing and building residential properties. He lives in Moncure with his wife, Selbe Bartlett, and their two children, Abilene and Jude. 

    Commissioner Dasher currently serves as the liaison to the following boards and committees:

    • Alcohol Beverage Control Board
    • Appearance Commission
    • Transportation Advisory Committee
    • Triangle Area Rural Planning Organization (voting member)
    • Triangle J Council of Governments Delegate
    • Orange-Chatham Task Force
    • Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (Alternate Delegate)

    David Delaney (District 3)

    Mailing Address: PO Box 1809, Pittsboro, NC 27312

    David Delaney 2Phone: 919-545-8542 Email: david.delaney@chathamcountync.gov

    David Delaney was sworn in on December 5, 2022. David is a cybersecurity and privacy attorney who enjoys outdoor sports, family adventures, travel, and reading. Born in New York and raised in Pennsylvania, David's army, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and academic experiences have made him a resident of nine states. He and his family moved to Chatham County in 2017.

    David has a passion for public policy and building collaborative, innovative approaches to community interests. He is Chair of the NAACP Chatham Community Branch Criminal Justice Committee, past chair of the NC Veterans Business Association, and ex officio board member of Innovate Chatham, which he co-founded in 2021.

    David has taught law and public policy at Brandeis University, Indiana University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He graduated from West Point, Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and Boston College Law School with degrees in political science, international security studies, and law.

    Commissioner Delaney currently serves as the liaison to the following boards and committees:

    • Climate Change Advisory Committee
    • Environmental Review Advisory Committee
    • Triangle J Council of Governments Alternate Delegate 
    • TARPO Alternate Delegate
    • Board of Elections  

    Katie Kenlan (District 4)

    Commissioner Katie KenlanMailing Address: PO Box 1809, Pittsboro, NC 27312
    Phone: 919-545-8543 
    Email: katie.kenlan@chathamcountync.gov

    Katie Kenlan was sworn in on December 5, 2022. Katie has called Hadley Township , Chatham County home for her entire life. She attended Pittsboro Elementary, Horton M.S., and Northwood High, taking part in sports and working at local organic farms. She has volunteered with the Haw River Assembly, CARE animal rescue and served as Democratic Party vice-chair for Hadley Township. She has witnessed firsthand the fast paced growth taking place in Chatham and is committed to thoughtful development, without sacrificing the beauty of the natural world and keeping a focus on the long term health and sustainability of our community. 

    Katie studied Spanish and Media Production at Antioch College and graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Latin American Studies, minoring in African American Diaspora Studies. She studied in Buenos Aires, Argentina and completed an internship with Hecho en Buenos Aires, an organization that works with the housing insecure and homeless population. Katie is fluent in Spanish.

    She has worked as a nature based pre-school teacher for many years, and founded an outdoor environmental  education program to help children learn to love nature and gain skills for outdoor living. She is currently interim director of Mi Escuelita, a Spanish language immersion pre-school in Chapel Hill. Her career has focused on early childhood and environmental education, local food security, and cultural exchange to foster a deeper understanding. 

    Commissioner Kenlan currently serves as the liaison to the following boards and committees:

    • Agriculture Advisory Board
    • Adult Care & Nursing Home Committee
    • Board of Equalization & Review
    • Chatham Transit Network Board
    • Triangle J Regional Council on Aging
    • Home & Community Care Block Grant
    • Orange-Chatham Task Force
    • Affordable Housing Advisory Committee
    • Planning Board 

    Franklin Gomez Flores (District 5)

    Mailing Address: P. O. Box 1809, Pittsboro, NC 27312
    Phone: 919-799-3965 
    Email: franklin.gomez@chathamcountync.gov Franklin Gomez Flores

    Franklin Gomez Flores was born in Guatemala, but was raised here, in Chatham County. His family decided to settle in Siler City in 1999, and have lived there since. From a young age, he has played a significant role in his family's transition to life in the United States that ranged from learning English to assisting in the management and maintenance of family assets.  

    He attended our Chatham County public schools in Siler City; and graduated from Jordan Matthews High School in 2012, where he participated in Varsity Soccer and Varsity Track and Field all four years. Franklin attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he earned his Bachelors' degree in Biology. Originally seeking to attend medical school, he realized that policy and government were of greater interest to him.

    He has been an active community member. He volunteered with Scholars' Latino Initiative, was an Assistant Coach for Los Jets soccer team, and served on Chatham County's Planning Board. Elected at 26 years of age, Franklin is the youngest Board member and the first Latino to be elected and to serve on Chatham County's Board of Commissioners.

    Commissioner Gomez Flores currently serves as a liaison to the following local or regional volunteer boards or committees:

    • Chatham Trades
    • Juvenile Crime Prevention Council
    • Local Emergency Planning Committee
    • Recreation Advisory Committee
    • Research Triangle Regional Partnership
    • Board of Health
    • Board of Social Services