Fauntleroy Named Director of Durham Emergency Communications Center

The City of Durham has selected Ebonyse Fauntleroy, a public safety communications leader with more than 20 years of experience, as the next director of the Durham Emergency Communications Center.

Fauntleroy currently serves as emergency communications manager for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Police Department, where she oversees emergency communications operations, workforce development, recruitment efforts, and training programs. Throughout her career, she has built a reputation for developing high-performing teams, strengthening operations, and guiding emergency communications centers through the workforce challenges facing the profession nationwide.

As director, Fauntleroy will lead Durham’s 911 center, which provides around-the-clock emergency communications services for residents and visitors throughout Durham County. The center dispatches police, fire, and emergency medical services personnel and serves a population of approximately 350,000 residents across nearly 298 square miles.

City Manager W. Bowman “Bo” Ferguson said a key priority for Fauntleroy will be continuing the center’s efforts to recruit, train, develop, and retain highly skilled telecommunicators in an increasingly competitive labor market. 

“Ebonyse brings the experience, leadership, and commitment to public service needed to lead one of Durham’s most critical public safety operations,” Ferguson said. “Throughout the hiring process, she demonstrated a clear understanding of the challenges facing emergency communications centers across the country and a strong vision for recruiting, developing, and retaining the highly skilled professionals who serve residents when they need help most. I am confident she will continue the excellent work of our call-takers, dispatchers, and supervisors while helping us strengthen recruitment, retention, and service delivery for our community.”

Fauntleroy’s background includes extensive experience in emergency communications operations, employee development, recruitment, retention, training, quality assurance, and technology implementation. She is a National Emergency Communications Institute certified 911 instructor, a certified Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) manager, a North Carolina Justice Academy general instructor, and a Civilian Crime Intelligence Network tactical officer.

Since joining UNC-Chapel Hill in 2023, Fauntleroy has managed daily emergency communications operations, led recruitment and hiring efforts, evaluated training programs, developed operational procedures, and used performance data to drive continuous improvement. Prior to that role, she spent 18 years with the Atlantic City Police Department in New Jersey, advancing from public safety telecommunicator to chief public safety telecommunicator.

The Durham Emergency Communications Center is nationally recognized for excellence and holds accreditation from CALEA and the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch as well as APCO Project 33 Certification. Durham was one of the first emergency communications centers in the world to hold all 3 distinctions simultaneously.

“I am deeply honored to serve the residents of Durham as the next 911 Center Director,” Fauntleroy said. “Throughout my career, I have seen firsthand the critical role emergency communications professionals play in protecting their communities. I also understand the importance of supporting the people behind the headset through effective leadership, training, and professional development. I look forward to building on Durham’s strong foundation and working alongside this dedicated team to continue delivering exceptional service to residents, visitors, and our public safety partners.”

Fauntleroy will lead a team of 82 staff members, including call-takers, communications officers, supervisors, and other public safety communications professionals. Under her leadership, the City will continue workforce development initiatives focused on expanding call-taker academies, increasing training capacity, offering hiring and retention incentives, and strengthening partnerships with regional public safety agencies. Those efforts helped increase staffing levels to 86% of authorized positions in September 2026 and continue to support service improvements. From January through September 2026, the center answered nearly 88% of incoming 911 calls within 10 seconds while continuing to manage growing call volumes and service demands across Durham County.

Fauntleroy earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Strayer University, a certified public manager credential through Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration, and a certified general instructor credential from Durham Technical Community College.

She succeeds former Director Randy Beeman, who retired in late September 2026, and will begin her new role on Dec. 14, 2026.