Profiles in Service - Oct. 2, 2017

Kitty Barnes

Chair, Environment, Energy & Land Use Steering Committee
Commissioner, Catawba County, N.C.

Number of years involved in NACo:  18

Years in public service:  31

Occupation:  Retired small business owner

Education:  A.A. interior design from Ohio University

Three people (living or dead) I’d invite to dinner:  Sandra Day O’Connor, Ronald Reagan and Steve Jobs.

A dream I have is to: Have everyone in the United States connected by broadband. 

You’d be surprised to learn that I:  Have trained girls for primitive camping.   

The most adventurous thing I’ve ever done is: Travel to Myanmar to visit several villages.  

My favorite way to relax is to:  Read.   

I’m most proud of:  My family (husband, Dan; daughter, Stacey and son, Chris). They are all successful, contributing citizens.    

Every morning I read:  Three newspapers- The Wall Street Journal, The Charlotte Observer and the Hickory Daily Record.  

My favorite meal is: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans (Southern style). 

My pet peeve is:  Not recycling.  

My motto is: Be prepared.  

The last book I read was: America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie. 

My favorite movie is:  The Natural with Robert Redford.

My favorite music is:  Broadway hits. 

My favorite U.S. president is:  Ronald Reagan. 

My county is a NACo member because: NACo is our window to the federal government and its impact on counties. It also is a great means to learn from counties in other states.