Experience

Nancy McFarlane’s experience shaped her to be the great mayor that she is today. Prior to serving as mayor, she demonstrated record of success as a two term city councilor, small business owner, community volunteer, and strong supporter of neighborhoods. Having called our city home since 1985, Nancy believes in Raleigh.  She and her husband Ron raised a family here. Their children all attended and graduated from Wake County Public Schools. She’s started a successful small business here. She maintains a vision, passion, skills, and experience that make her a great mayor. Experience does matter. Nancy has it.

City Council Experience

First elected to city council in 2007, Nancy defeated an incumbent in a contested District A city council race by a margin of 54% to 45%. Two years later, Nancy ran without opposition and was re-elected. Nancy graciously accepted Mayor Charles Meeker’s appointment in 2007 to serve as the Chair of the city’s Comprehensive Planning Committee. During that almost 4 years tenure leading that committee, Nancy has worked tirelessly with her fellow committee members to focus on maintaining the fundamentals of good planning as Raleigh undergoes the development and approval of the city’s next 20 year Comprehensive Plan. The underlying Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) also must be finalized. Collectively, these guidelines will frame how our city evaluates numerous issues including Land Use, Transportation, Environmental Protection, Economic Development, Housing, Public Utilities, Parks, Recreation & Open Space, Community Services & Facilities, Urban Design, Historic Preservation, Arts & Culture, Regional & Inter-Jurisdictional Coordination, and Downtown Raleigh. For both of her city council terms, Nancy has also served on the city’s Budget and Economic Development Committee. Nancy was elected to serve as mayor of Raleigh in October 2011. In a three-way race, the first open seat mayoral election in over 10 years, Nancy received over 61% of the votes.

Nancy maintains a dedicated focus on small business growth and development. As a small business owner, Nancy understands what it takes to create new jobs by encouraging and streamlining the process for establishing a small business. Nancy’s advocacy on behalf of local small businesses matriculated into a Small Business Initiative, which Nancy proposed to Raleigh City Council during the summer of 2011. This initiative
calls for a single-point-of-contact permitting process to make the process of opening a small business in the city as accessible, simplified and hassle-free as possible. On September 6, 2011, Nancy’s Small Business Initiative passed with a unanimous vote from the entire the Council.

Nancy served as City Council liaison to a variety of groups, including:

• Upper Neuse River Basin Association
• Wake County Elected Officials Transit Work Group
• Raleigh Arts Commission and United Arts Council
• Stormwater Utility Advisory Commission
• Substance Abuse Advisory Commission
• Environmental Advisory Board
• Triangle J Council of Governments
• Water Utility Transition Advisory Council
• Sister Cities International
• Wake County Public Schools
• Public Art & Design Board

 

Business Experience

As a small business owner, Nancy has a firsthand understanding of what it takes to make Raleigh a business-friendly city. Her business success and acumen have been important in shaping her leadership style as a competent and efficient consensus builder. Her honors include:

 

• Being named one of the Top Women in Business in 2009 and 2010 by Triangle Business Journal.
• Becoming a 2008 recipient of Women Extraordinaire, an award that recognizes women business leaders who are innovators, problem-solvers and inspirations to other women,
• Being named a 2008 Impact Women Business Owner

In 2002, Nancy launched MedPro Rx, Inc., an accredited specialty infusion pharmacy that provides medications and services to provide support for clients with chronic illness. Nancy has successfully led and managed the health care team made up of pharmacists, nurses, reimbursement specialists, community advocates, inventory managers, financial analysts, delivery personnel and sales representatives.

MedPro Rx has grown tremendously over the past decade, with a relentless focus on taking care of its clients, doing what’s right and letting the results speak for themselves. MedPro Rx is fortunate to have been recognized for these accomplishments by many different publications. These include:

• Recognition as the Triangle Business Journal’s No. 1 fastest growing privately held company in the Triangle in 2008. MedPro ranked No. 5 in 2009 and No. 16 in 2010.
• Recognition by Triangle Business Journal as a Top-Women Owned Business in 2009 and 2010.
• The same publication honored MedPro on its Best Places to Work list in 2010.
• Recognition by Business Leader magazine as the No. 1 Small Business in the Triangle in both 2009 and 2011. In 2009, this same publication also named MedPro Rx as the No. 3 Small Business in North Carolina out of the Top 100. In 2011, MedPro Rx was also named the Number 2 Small Business in the South out of the Top 300 award winners.
• INC 5000 award MedPro Rx was ranked #502 in 2009, #1540 in 2010, #2654 in 2011

These accolades are a reflection of Nancy’s vision to create a pharmacy that would focus on the patient first. Merging medication therapy management with existing community resources, has allowed MedPro  to serve as an advocate for the bleeding disorders community and other communities affected by chronic illness.  MedPro Rx has several community outreach programs, including a substantial “Education is Power” national scholarship program for students with bleeding disorders. Since its inception in 2006, 299 recipients have received a total of $298,500 in scholarship money from MedPro Rx.