Dana Cope was hired as SEANC's executive director in March 2000. Under his leadership SEANC is growing its political program--as members step up their grassroots activism, increase their EMPAC contributions and make their public service more visible to lawmakers and the press. The General Assembly funded a 4.2 percent pay increase plus a $500 bonus for state employees during Cope's first year on the job.

In 2001, the state faced its largest budget deficit in years, and the governor diverted $130 million of retirement system employer contributions to help balance the budget. SEANC filed an unprecedented lawsuit to stop Gov. Easley and future leaders from using retirement funds for any other purpose besides retirement benefits and system administration and demanded full repayment. Several state employees, also SEANC members, filed a similar lawsuit, Stone et al. v State of North Carolina. SEANC paid for this lawsuit. By spring 2007 a judge confirmed that Gov. Easley had violated the North Carolina and federal constitutions by diverting the funds. In 2007, the General Assembly finished paying back the $130 million without interest. The North Carolina Court of Appeals heard the case regarding interest owed in January 2008. 

In 2005 SEANC launched the Member Action Team (MAT), an effort to empower members for lobbying, leadership and recruitment. MAT activities include lobby day and grassroots lobbying efforts such as phone calls and letters to legislators.

The Employees Political Action Committee rose from 276th in 2002 to 11th in 2008.  In 2006, Mitch Leonard, longtime membership services director, became the first retiree director in the association's history. In honor of Leonard's 30 years of service to SEANC, the Board of Governors named the conference room in his honor. On May 3, 2008, SEANC voted to affiliate with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The SEANC convention included 671 elected delegates representing SEANC's 55,000 state employee members across the state. Nearly 80 percent, or 524 delegates, voted to affiliate with SEIU.

SEANC has many successes on behalf of state employees’ and retirees’ pay and benefits. As SEANC continues to grow its political program, increase membership and strengthen partnerships, state employees and retirees can be sure that SEANC is committed to protecting and enhancing their benefits.

Prior to 1945, a group of individuals, mostly highway and prison employees in western North Carolina, decided they needed representation in the General Assembly. This group unofficially organized and an association. During 1945 and 1946 the organization began to take shape, and W.B. Ferguson, a district engineer in Burnsville, took the lead in forming the North Carolina State Employees Association (NCSEA). Various divisions within the fledgling association were organized, and employees of other state departments became involved. Most came from the Employment Security Commission and the State Treasurer’s Office. Early leaders traveled the state, visiting state offices to enlist help and membership. By the end of 1946, approximately 3,600 employees had joined the group and scheduled an organizational convention for January 1947 at the Carolina Hotel in Raleigh.

1940s:

• First-time 20% pay raises for highway and prison employees
• 5-day work week instituted
• Creation of State Personnel Department

1950s:

• 26% increase in salaries
• $15 a month pay raise
• Annual leave days increased
• 5 holidays added

1960s:

• 28% increase in salaries
• Longevity pay approved
• 6% pay raise in 1967

1970s:

• 50% increase in salaries
• 30-year retirement and formula increase
• State Health Plan created
• Payroll deduction of dues approved
• NCSGEA awards first scholarship and launches member discount program

1980s:

• 60% increase in salaries
• Longevity pay enhanced
• NCSEA begins scholarship program
• Merger of NCSEA and NCSGEA
• Association adopts SEANC name in 1984

1990s:

• 20+% increase in salaries
• Retirement formula increase from 1.75% to 1.81%
• EMPAC makes first endorsement
• Bailey ruling overturns taxation of NC retirees’ pension benefit

2000-2009:

• 20.95% increase in salaries + bonus pay and leave time
• 20.5% increase in retiree COLAs
• Sued Gov. Easley over $130 million escrowed retirement funds
• Secured repayment of escrowed funds
• State Health Plan maximum increase to $5 million for Indemnity Plan and unlimited for PPOs
• Elected 3 rank-and-file SEANC members to the General Assembly
• Moved up in PAC ranking from 276th to 11th
• Elected long-time SEANC member Bev Perdue as governor

Ivan V. Hill 1984-85	Bobby Reardon 1985-87	Nancy B. Horton 1987-88
Kay Hovious 1988-89	Matt Elmore 1989-90	Darrell Arnold 1990-91
Spillman W. Grice Jr. 1991-92	Duane Smith 1992-93	E.B. (Chuck) Hunt 1993-94
Ed L. Little 1994-95	H. Len Henderson 1995-96	Patricia A. Brafford 1996-97
Chuck Stone 1997-98	Ray Mosteller 1998-99	Paula Schubert 1999-00
Flint M. Benson 2000-01	Shirley A. Bell 2001-02	Steve Lusk 2002-04
Cliff Brown 2004-06	Linda Rouse Sutton 2006-08	Tony Smith 2008-10

NC State Employees Association (NCSEA)

1947-49	Mason E. Swearingen	1961-62	Ralph Sprinkle	1974-75	Troy K. Green
1949-51	Alden P. Honeycutt	1962-63	E.L. Peters	1975-76	Russell N. Perry
1951-52	H.C. "Ike" Johnson	1963-64	J. Roger Hester	1976-77	John P. Booker
1952-53	Worth Giles	1964-65	Edwin S. Preston	1977-78	Dan W. Jones
1953-54	Ralph M. Moody	1965-66	Merle Lowe	1978-79	Donald H. Jones
1954-55	Philip Pollock	1966-67	John L. Boyd	1979-80	William H. Billy Lyon
1955-56	Leonora Carawan	1967-68	H.S. "Pete" Jackson	1980-81	E. Clark Edwards
1956-57	Ralph Monger	1968-69	Clyde H. Benner	1981-82	Billy R Blackmon
1957-58	W.S. Hunt	1969-70	Louis S. Bell	1982-83	Ivan V. Hill
1958-59	Tom Secrest	1970-72	Donald H. Jones	1983-84	Kay K. Slaughter
1959-60	Victor Jones	1972-73	E.R. "Pete" Caraway
1960-61	Russell Secrest	1973-74	Robert A. Pruett

NC State Highway Employees Association (NCSHEA)

1947	W.B. Ferguson	1952-53	Merle T. Adkins
1947-48	Earl Crump	1953-54	Fred Biggerstaff
1949	T.F. Royall	1954-55	J.L. McDonald
1949-50	K.R. Scott	1955-56	R.L. Brown
1950-51	Withers Davis	1956-57	Ivan Hardesty
1951-52	J.H. Council

NC Highway & Correction Employees Association (NCH&CEA)

1957-58	R.B. Fitzgerald	1965-66	A.J. Hughes
1958-59	A.T. Hight	1966-67	Floyd J. Bass
1959-60	J.F. Abernathy	1967-68	K.B. Bailey
1960-61	R.L. Turner	1968-69	Luther H. Berrier
1961-62	L.H. Gunter	1969-70	C.L. Brewer
1962-63	F.K. Westwood	1970-71	L.F. Dail
1963-64	J.A. Saunders	1971-72	Ralph M. Bradshaw
1964-65	C.B. Wicker	1972-73	Robert A. Merritt

NC State Government Employees Association (NCSGEA)

1973-74	W.C. Brown	1979-80	Gayle M. Watson
1974-75	Horace Jernigan	1980-81	Douglas B. Waters
1975-76	Eugene Woodring	1981-82	Caroline B. Honeycutt
1976-77	Sam Garrison	1982-83	R. Mack Jarvis
1977-78	G.P. Price Jr.	1983-84	J.E. Skinner
1978-79	Donald L. Cooper

State Employees of NC (SENC)

1984	Kay K. Slaughter