City of Wilson, NC Leadership

Rodger Lentz, AICP, is Chief Planning and Development Officer for the City of Wilson. His areas of responsibility include Planning, Community Development, Land Development, Code Enforcement, Inspections, GIS, and Downtown Development. Rodger serves on the Board of Directors for the 44,000-member American Planning Association and is the former North Carolina chapter president.

Prior to Wilson, Lentz served for 6 years on the Davidson, NC Planning and Design Review Boards, and worked in planning with the City of Charlotte, Cabarrus County, and Matthews, NC. He also serves on the boards of the Wilson YMCA and the American Planning Association Foundation. Rodger holds a BA in Geography from UNC Greensboro where he concentrated in Urban Studies and an MA in Geography from UNC Charlotte where he studied Urban and Regional Planning. He is also a graduate of the UNC School of Government County Administration program.

Albert Alston began his career as a firefighter in 1999 with WF/RS. He rose through the ranks as Firefighter, Engineer, Captain, Battalion Chief, and as Deputy Fire Chief before being appointed Chief of Department in October 2017. Chief Alston leads a department that has been re-accredited by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International, (an accomplishment that only 238 departments worldwide have achieved) and has a Class I ISO rating.

Chief Alston is a Wilson native and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Fire Science with a concentrate in Management from Fayetteville State University. Chief Alston has graduated from the prestigious National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Office Program (EFOP). He has achieved his Chief Fire Officer Designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence Commission of Professional Credentialing and has achieved a member (MIFireE) grade from the Institute of Fire Engineers.

Amy Staton joined the City of Wilson in 2021. Her areas of responsibility include budgeting, accounting and financial reporting, customer service and business operations, purchasing, accounts payable, print services, and central warehouse operations. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting from Meredith College located in Raleigh, North Carolina. Amy is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Management Accountant. She is a graduate of the School of Government at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Municipal Administration Program.

Prior to joining the City of Wilson, Amy was the Director of Finance for the City of Rocky Mount for 14 years and Accounting Manager for 10 years. Prior to municipal public service she worked in public accounting with McGladrey and Pullen in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and as Assistant Controller with Heritage Hospital (now Vidant Edgecombe Hospital) in Tarboro, North Carolina. Amy is a member of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), North Carolina GFOA, American Institute of Public Accountants, North Carolina Association of Public Accountants, and Institute of Management Accountants.

Chief Biddle assumed responsibility for the Wilson Police Department in June 2021. He joined the Wilson Police Department in September 1992 following graduation from West Virginia University. He worked his way through the ranks, serving as Police Officer I, Police Officer II, Senior Police Officer in the Patrol Division and Detective Division, and continued the progression until he was promoted to Major in 2011. He has worked on the Bicycle Team, Detective Division, Narcotics, Problem Oriented Response Team (PORT), and as a member and team leader on the Special Response Team (SRT).

Biddle has a long-standing commitment to community and youth outreach. He was one of the founders of the Wilson Police Athletics League (PAL) in 1994. He has coached youth baseball through Wilson Parks and Recreation and the Wilson Boys and Girls Club for more than 20 years. He is a member of the PAL Board of Directors and volunteers at many PAL camps, mentorship programs and youth activities. Biddle also coaches football and baseball at Toisnot Middle School.

In 2021, the Wilson Human Relations Commission gave its highest honor, the Paul Lee Stevens Humanitarian of the Year Award to Biddle for his dedication to the Wilson community.