Meet Dale

Two-Term State Treasurer

Dale was sworn in for his first term as State Treasurer of North Carolina in January 2017, making him the first Republican Treasurer in 141 years. He was re-elected in 2020, receiving more votes than any Presidential candidate on the ballot in NC. Under his strong economic leadership, the state pension plan is now among the nation’s top five highest funded.

Blue-Collar Background

Treasurer Folwell has a unique background, with his career beginning as a blue-collar worker, including jobs as a garbage collector, gas station attendant, and motorcycle mechanic. Like many blue-collar workers, he began his career taking showers at the end of the day, not the beginning.

He always fights for the “invisible”: Those who work with their hands, back, feet, heart, mind, and those who teach, protect, and serve.

Education & Accounting Expertise

After earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Accounting from UNC-Greensboro, Dale passed all four parts of the CPA exam in the first sitting in 1984. In the private sector, Dale worked as a Registered Investment Advisor while venturing into public service.

Public Service History

Dale was first elected to public office as a member of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education. He brought his problem-solving skills to the North Carolina General Assembly in 2004, where he served four terms in the House of Representatives including one term as Speaker Pro Tempore.

In 2013, Dale was named Assistant Secretary of Commerce and in only 30 months he led a successful effort to pay off $2.7 billion in federal unemployment debt and build a $1 billion surplus which reduced the unemployment tax by all North Carolina businesses.