About me
Theodore (Ted) L. Voorhees, ICMA‑CM, MPA, serves as Town Manager of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he leads a full‑service municipal organization dedicated to high‑quality service delivery, innovation, and strong community partnerships. His leadership emphasizes strategic planning, infrastructure resiliency, financial stewardship, and effective public engagement.
Since joining Chapel Hill, Voorhees has focused on strengthening the Town’s long‑term organizational capacity by modernizing internal processes, expanding data‑driven decision making, and enhancing performance reporting across departments. He works closely with the Town Council on major policy initiatives including downtown redevelopment, housing affordability, rewriting the Land Use Management Ordinance, the University of North Carolina's - Carolina North campus expansion, and reinvigorating the Town’s capital investment program.
Before coming to Chapel Hill, Voorhees served as Orange County (Virginia) Administrator, beginning in 2020. During his tenure, the County opened its award‑winning public safety building, launched a countywide public safety radio system built on the FiberLync broadband backbone, and was repeatedly recognized as a national “Top 10” Digital Counties community. He also served as Executive Director of FiberLync and held leadership roles on several regional boards.
Previously, Voorhees served as Powhatan County Administrator, City Manager of Fayetteville, NC, Deputy City Manager of Durham, NC, Assistant City Manager of Wilmington, NC, City Manager of King, NC, and Town Manager of Bowling Green, Virginia. In these roles, he led major capital programs, organizational development efforts, public safety reforms, downtown revitalization, and award‑winning economic development strategies.
An ICMA‑Credentialed Manager, Voorhees holds a B.S. from American University, an MPA from George Mason University, and completed the UNC‑Chapel Hill Municipal Administration Program and the University of Virginia’s Senior Executive Institute. He is a bogey golfer and runner. He and his wife, Michele, have four adult children.
