It’s been 37 years since Charlotte County hired it’s first County Administrator and when R.B. Clark announced his retirement it presented their Board of Supervisors with one of the most important, and stressful, tasks a governing body performs – hiring the Executive Officer. The Chief Executive is the community’s leader, the tip of the spear, the one who gets it done. They are expected to communicate with the Board, the community, the Constitutional officers, business leader

Ken joined our Executive Transition Assistance team after 32 years working in local government in Virginia and Tennessee. I was excited to learn about his path to executive manager and his recognition as an ICMA Credentialed Manager. Here are a few things we discussed: Looking back to where you started this journey, where did you think it would lead you? After trying a career as a teacher and then in social services, I began working on my Masters Degree at East Tennessee St

As I did some background research for our next Staff Spotlight on Clarence Monday, I came across the predictable accolades one sees in media coverage of a local government administrator’s retirement. Pittsylvania County’s at-the-time Board of Supervisors Chairman, Jessie Barkdale, praised Clarence as a “true professional” who had “performed exceptionally”. He was even welcomed to be a part of the hiring process for his replacement – an opportunity seldom extended to a departi

In July 2016, Joseph Paxton retired after more than thirty-eight years with Rockingham County. His career with Rockingham began with a management internship in January 1978 and ultimately led him to serving as County Administrator for over 12 years. Joe recently joined the Berkley Group as an Executive Manager in our Executive Transition Assistance program. As part of our Staff Spotlight series, I asked Joe about his experience and accomplishments throughout his career. Why d

In June of 2016, Kimball Payne retired after 15 years as Lynchburg City Manager and over 32 years of local government service. One of the most well-known and respected local government managers in Virginia, Kim recently joined the Berkley Group as an Executive Manager in our Executive Transition Assistance program. As part of our Staff Spotlight series, I asked Kim about his experience and accomplishments in local government. Why did you get into this line of work? What moti

We are excited to be assisting the Town of Amherst during their executive vacancy! The Town suddenly found its top manager position open after 25 years when Jack Hobbs submitted his resignation as Town Manager. The Town Council decided to tackle this challenge with an innovative approach and enlisted our help through the Berkley Group Executive Transition Assistance (ETA) Program. Under that program, Amherst contracted Executive Manager Peter Huber to serve as interim Town Ma