KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Annette Privette Keller, communications director for the City of Kannapolis, has announced her retirement after 30 years in municipal government and public education.
Privette Keller has led communications and public relations for Kannapolis, Concord and the Town of Matthews. She directed municipal branding efforts in all three towns, and the city says those brands are still in use. Earlier in her career she led communications for Mooresville Graded School District, worked as public relations manager for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and edited the Mooresville Tribune.
In Kannapolis, she helped with the revitalization of Downtown Kannapolis, the creation of the Kannapolis Youth Council and public art projects. She also worked on wellness programs such as Run Kannapolis and Loop the Loop, and she led community engagement and emergency communications.
She founded North Carolina City & County Communicators in 2007. The group now serves hundreds of professionals statewide. In 2025 she became president of the City-County Communications & Marketing Association, the first person from North Carolina to hold that post. She has won more than 70 state and national awards.
Privette Keller sits on the boards of the Kannapolis Education Foundation, the N.C. Open Government Coalition, the Rowan County Tourism Authority and the Mooresville Housing Authority.
"It's now time for me to move on to new challenges, opportunities, and adventures," she said.
The release did not give a retirement date or name a successor.
