Ellen C. McNeill was the first African American secretary hired in the city of Fayetteville offices of Engineering, Human Relations, and Airport departments. Later she was the Community Development Neighborhood Resources Coordinator when the first Best Practices Award by the Housing and Urban Development Office honored the City of Fayetteville and County of Cumberland.
Ellen McNeill is the only black female to have served on the Board of County Commissioners in Hoke County. In 2013, she was chosen by her peers as the North Carolina Black Elected Official of the Year. She was a member of Southeastern Community and Family Services Board of Directors, an officer of the Hoke County Civic League, Hoke Reading Literacy Council, Trustee of the Raeford-Hoke Museum, and the Hoke County Missionary Union.
