National Association of Counties
NACo Business of Counties Forum is dedicated to a network of appointed county executives who collectively represent over 92 million residents, 1.2 million employees and $267 billion in annual operations.
NACo Business of Counties Forum is dedicated to a network of appointed county executives who collectively represent over 92 million residents, 1.2 million employees and $267 billion in annual operations.
As first deputy managing director, Mr. Abernathy assists the city’s managing director with oversight of Philadelphia’s operating departments and development and implementation of key policy initiatives. He began working with the City of Philadelphia in 2004, serving as director of policy and public relations for the city council for six years. Mr. Abernathy later became the chief of staff to the city’s managing director.
As county administrator, Ms. Baker manages the daily operation of the Palm Beach County government. Palm Beach County is one of the few counties in the nation with AAA general obligation bond ratings from all three rating agencies and has a population of more than 1.5 million persons. Baker holds a B.S. in Rehabilitative Services and an M.S. in Public Administration, both from Florida State University. She began her career with the county in 1987 as a budget analyst. She was later promoted to a division director position with the county Financial Management Department.
Ms. Diorio joined Mecklenburg County in 2007 as director of the Department of Financial Services. In 2013, she was promoted to assistant county manager for fiscal control, policies and standards compliance, where she oversaw the Department as well as MECKLINK Finance and the Assessor’s Office. In 2014, she became the county’s first female manager. Ms. Diorio earned her B.S. in Social Services from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, and her M.P.A. from Columbia University. She was raised in Westchester County, N.Y. and started her career in New York City Mayor’s Office.
In his role as chief of staff, Mr. Einhorn is responsible for overseeing County Judge Eckhardt’s staff, supporting the development of the County budget and managing the development and implementation of policy and administrative initiatives as determined by the Commissioners Court. He has worked for Travis County for just over 11 years, beginning as policy director in the Office of then Commissioner Eckhardt. Mr. Einhorn was also the policy director in the Office of Commissioner Bruce Todd from 2013-2014. He has a B.A.
Mr. Ellis started his tenure with Wake County in 2015 when he was appointed deputy county manager. In this role, he oversaw several departments, including Human Services and Community Services. Prior to moving to Wake County, Ellis served as assistant city manager in Charlottesville, Va. for three years. He also held positions in Fairfax County, Va., including assistant to the county executive and assistant director of Human Services. Ellis holds a B.S. in Psychology from James Madison University and a M.P.A. from George Mason University.
Mr. Firestine has worked in public sector financial management for 28 years, beginning his career as a budget officer for the County Controller in Allegheny County, Penn. He has spent most of his career in Montgomery County, Md. where he worked in the Office of Management and Budget for 12 years before becoming the director of the Department of Finance in 1991. In 2006, he was appointed chief administrative officer for the county. Firestine is a member of the Maryland Government Finance Officers Association. He has a B.A. in Political Science from Albright College and an M.P.A.
Ms. Hamai began her career in the Los Angeles County Auditor-Controller’s department as an accountant-auditor. She was later promoted to a management position with the County Department of Health Services’ Inspection and Audit Team. In this role, Sachi developed and implemented the Health Authority Law Enforcement Task Force, a multi-agency program to deter illegal criminal activities threating the public’s health and wellbeing. Sachi then served as the director of administrative services with the department for five years.
Ms. Henry has had a longstanding career in public service, with more than 30 years of experience in public administration, including service in Montgomery County, Ohio and the City of Miami. Fla. She began working for Broward County in 1996, serving as assistant to the county administrator for two years. She later accepted a position as assistant city manager of Finance Administration for the City of Miami, assisting with the city’s financial recovery efforts. In 2000, Ms.
Mr. Hill was appointed as county executive for Fairfax County, Va. after a three-year stint as the county administrator for James City County, Va. At James City County, Mr. Hill was responsible for overseeing staff, major infrastructure projects, economic development, transportation initiatives and the development and implementation of the county’s first strategic plan. He also led the realignment of the county’s debt portfolio, which resulted in AAA ratings from all the three major bond rating agencies. He also served as deputy county administrator for Beaufort County, S.C.
Mr. Hough began his career as a law clerk in 1982 in Hennepin County Attorney Tom Johnson’s office. He served in the county attorney’s office for 25 years and went on to try 130 cases. Mr. Hough worked in the juvenile and appellate divisions before leading the civil division under former County Attorney Amy Klobuchar. He served for several years as the county attorney for the Board of Commissioners, advising the elected officials on everything from personnel matters to open meeting laws. He left the attorney’s office in 2008 to become the deputy county administrator.
Mr. Huckelberry is a registered professional engineer and registered land surveyor in Arizona. He began his career with Pima County in 1974 as a field engineer in the Department of Transportation. In 1979, he was promoted to Director of the Department of Transportation and Flood Control District in held that position until 1986. He then served as the assistant county manager for public works for seven years. Mr. Huckelberry hails from Tucson, Ariz., where he earned a B.S. in Mining Engineering and a Master’s in Civil Engineering from the University of Arizona.
Mr. Johnson has worked for Riverside County for 26 years, previously serving as the director of the transportation and land management agency and the director of the county Transportation Department. Mr. Johnson was appointed as county executive officer after serving as Riverside County’s chief assistant executive officer for five years. He worked for eight years in the private sector as a civil engineer, before moving on to work in public service. Mr. Johnson earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and an M.A.
Mr. Martin was appointed to his current position after serving for as the assistant county administrator for Clark County, Nev., the 15th largest county in the nation that includes the City of Las Vegas. He is the first black county administrator to serve Dallas County. Martin is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of the Dallas County government under the direction and authority of the Commissioners Court and in support of Dallas County’s strategic plan.
Ms. Martinez began working for Cook County, Ill. in 1986. She started her career as a training coordinator in the Human Resources Department, where she also served as disability affairs coordinator. In 1992, she moved to the Chief Administrative Office, becoming first assistant to the Chief Administrative Officer in 1998. She was later appointed deputy chief administrative officer, also briefly serving as acting chief administrative officer.
A lifelong San Bernardino County resident, Mr. McBride has spent his entire 23-year career working for the county. McBride began his career as a fiscal clerk in the Department of Human Resources. He was promoted to staff analyst in the Department of Public Health in 1996, administrative analyst in the County Administrative Office in 2000, chief of the Public Health Division in 2002, and deputy executive officer in the County Administrative Office in 2006. Mr. McBride served as the county’s chief financial officer from 2013-2017, before being appointed to chief executive officer.
Ms. Muranishi has over 35 years of experience working for Alameda County. She is the first woman to be appointed as county administrator in Alameda County and was the first Asian-American woman county administrator in California. Prior to her appointment in 1995, Muranishi served as the assistant county administrator. She is an active supporter and member of several diverse community and nonprofit organizations including the Safe Passages/Youth Ventures Joint Powers Authority.
Ms. Rich joined Maricopa County, Ariz. as a planning manager in 1997, before taking on the role of planning and development director. Just prior to being appointed to county manager, Rich served as deputy county manager for the county for four years, providing leadership for departments such as planning and development, transportation, air quality and emergency management. In that position, she oversaw 11 county departments with budgets totaling almost $500 million annually and a staff of more than 1,500. A native of Phoenix, Ariz., Ms.
Ms. Robbins-Meyer was the first woman to serve in the chief administrative officer position San Diego County, Calif. Previously, Ms. Robbins-Meyer served as assistant chief administrative officer. Before working for the county, she served as the director of planning and internal operations at TRW, Avionics Systems Division for 15 years where she held numerous roles in finance, contract and administrative management. Ms. Robbins-Meyer has used her extensive private sector experience to help develop the County's General Management System. She holds a B.A.
Mr. Rousseau was appointed as Fresno County’s administrative officer after having worked in a similar for Tulare County for eight years. Rousseau is a certified public accountant with more than 25 years of experience. Prior to working in Tulare County, he worked in Fresno County’s Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector’s office. He also served as a staff accountant in private practice at Sampson & Sampson CPAs in Clovis, Calif. Rousseau was born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley and graduated from San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno. He earned his B.A.
Prior to his appointment as deputy county manager, Mr. Spaulding spent two years leading the county Facilities Management Department, where he was responsible for the design, construction and oversight of approximately 12 million square feet of Maricopa County-owned facilities. Before this position, he worked in a similar role for six years with Pima County’s Department of Facilities Management. Mr.
Prior to being appointed as county administrator, Mr. Twa served as county manager in Ramsey County, Minn. for over four years. He served two terms as the elected county attorney in Blue Earth County Minnesota, before moving on to a career in county administration. In addition to being an attorney, he is also a certified public accountant. He earned a B.S. in economics and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
Mr. Wilson began working with Franklin County in 2005 when he was hired as the director of the county’s Office of Management and Budget. In 2010, he was promoted to the role of deputy county administrator for resource management, overseeing several agencies including job and family services. Prior to joining Franklin County government, Mr. Wilson was a director of policy for the Ohio Senate Minority Caucus. He holds a M.P.A. from Ohio University and a B.A. in Public Affairs from Michigan State University.
Mr. Aronowitz is a partner at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm that serves private, public and social sector institutions, where he advises clients on strategic, organization and change management topics. Mr. Aronowitz has significant experience with technology companies and setting up agile organizations to succeed during rapid growth. Before joining McKinsey & Company Steven worked in federal, state and local government. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Stanford University and his J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.
Mr. Bagley is the Government Affairs Director for Intel Corporation’s U.S. Southwest Region, including more than $20 billion of investment and significant research and development. Before joining Intel, Mr. Bagley worked as a public relations manager in the high-tech industry and in public education. Mr. Bagley served as a public affairs officer for the U.S. Army and led a public affairs team during the deployment of U.S. troops into Bosnia in support of Operation Joint Endeavor. Based in Phoenix, Mr. Bagley serves in leadership roles on the boards of several area business associations.
Tim Rahschulte, Ph.D., is the CEO at The Professional Development Academy and a faculty member at George Fox University’s College of Business, where he teaches in the Doctor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration programs. Dr. Rahschulte has over twenty years of professional management experience and started his career in corporate finance for a multi-billion-dollar company where he successfully managed dozens of bond indentures and average daily investments of $200 million.
Sarah Rosen Wartell became president of the Urban Institute in 2012. During her tenure, Urban has articulated its strategy to “elevate the debate” by bringing more of its research insights to federal, state, and local government and practice. Previously, Ms. Wartell was deputy assistant to the president for economic policy and deputy director of the National Economic Council. At the US Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1993 to 1998, she advised the federal housing Commissioner on housing finance, mortgage markets, and consumer protection.
Dr. Gerald “Jerry” Scallion is the Chief Medical Officer at Aetna Public and Labor, Federal Government Services. Dr. Scallion began his career in the managed care industry in 2003, after 20 years of serving as a general surgeon in private practice. Prior to joining Aetna, Dr. Scallion was the Chief Medical Officer of Aetna International in Quatar and served as the Senior Medical Director in the greater New York City area. He earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Mount St. Mary’s College and is a graduate of the University of Maryland’s Medical School.