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 leaders, State officials and all while meeting the daily obligations, seeking economic development opportunities, working with school officials, and on and on.
This unique opportunity for Charlotte County has also enabled us to perform our first executive search as part of our Executive Transition Assistance (ETA) program. We have provided interim assistance (Town of Amherst), we have performed organizational assessments for cities/towns/counties, and now the third leg of the program is in progress – the executive search.
Working with the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors to develop a candidate profile was the first step and it was an educational, productive and fun process. The Board’s discussion and input for the profile is the foundation for attracting qualified candidates that will fit the Charlotte County community, goals, and objectives.
Candidate applications are flowing in steadily and the next step will be to work with the County’s Personnel Committee to examine the applications and develop a short list of candidates to interview. Once the interviews are complete and the final candidate is chosen, the offer package will be negotiated, but the process won’t stop there. The first few weeks and months for a new executive are critical to their success, so we will also be providing some onboarding and coaching assistance as needed to help ensure the new Administrator successfully integrates into their new role and responsibilities.
Rolling out new programs to help localities when they are in transition, especially when it’s such a unique experience for them, is one of the most rewarding professional experiences we have at The Berkley Group. Assisting local governments, making communities stronger, helping staff be successful. Charlotte County’s executive search exemplifies what we do, who we do it for, and why we do what we do. Check them out online at http://www.charlotteva.com/. What a great place to live, work, and play!
