Horry County names new assistant administrator

Horry County announced Thursday that Justin Powell was named as the new assistant county administrator of administration, replacing Anne Wright who resigned in March.

Powell has been the chief financial officer for Dorchester County, and is scheduled to begin work in Horry County on May 26, according to a press release sent by the county.

“We welcome Justin to Horry County as he brings a wealth of knowledge from his previous government experience in Dorchester County, city of Greenville, and in Fairfax County, Va.,” said County Administrator Chris Eldridge in the release. “Justin will be a strong manager for our organization, and we are excited he is joining our team.”

Powell will oversee the following: assessor, finance, human resources, IT/GIS, museum, procurement, community development as well being the liaison with several other elected and appointed officials to include the auditor, clerk of court, coroner, delegation, library, magistrates, Master-in-Equity, probate, register of deeds, public defender, registration and elections, treasurer and veterans affairs.

Powell was chosen from among 162 applicants for the position, according to the release. Prior to arriving in Dorchester County, Powell worked for the city of Greenville, and was responsible for budget administrator, accounting/revenue, capital planning, purchasing, information technology, and risk management.

A native of South Carolina, Powell received his masters of public administration from University of Chapel Hill in North Carolina, and a bachelor of arts from Wofford College in Spartanburg.

This story was originally published April 30, 2015 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Horry County names new assistant administrator."