Echoes of the Pandemic: Mike Sprayberry reflects on creating unity in crisis

If you lived in North Carolina during the pandemic, Mike Sprayberry’s voice may sound familiar. As the state director of emergency management, he spoke alongside then-Governor Roy Cooper and former state Health Secretary Mandy Cohen at hundreds of COVID-19 press conferences. 

A veteran with decades of military service, Sprayberry was no stranger to crisis leadership. In this installment of Echoes of Pandemic, he reflects on the challenges state officials faced and why he stayed calm when the stakes were high.

Interview Highlights:

On leading with confidence under pressure:

“I'm an optimistic person. You're not going to see me sweating about stuff. I'm just going to try to get the job done. When you get nervous like that, that nervousness permeates the operation. It's not good for the team. You have to be calm and let people know that it's going to be alright. We're all going to work together.”

On the power of connection:

“All those press conferences, it would be tough for people to really take it and assimilate it. Those were tough times. Early on, I felt like I'm going to tell them how many days we've been in this together, and I'm going to tell them that one of the best things that you can do is to reach out and call your loved ones and let them know that you know that you care for them. Always remember to look out for your family, friends and neighbors. ... With your help, we will get through this together, one team, one mission, one family. You know what? It really resonated with people.”

On preparedness: 

“We typically exercise hurricane plans because our most common threat in the state of North Carolina is flooding caused by tropical storms and hurricanes. It happened in Helene, happened in Florence, happened in Matthew, happened in Isaias, Tropical Storm Fred. But which of those, all those put together, which caused more death and destruction? COVID. So you need to give it a higher priority.”

*Editor's note: This transcription has been lightly edited for clarity.