Longtime assistant county manager to retire and her replacement has already been named
Thurston County’s longtime assistant county manager will retire by the end of the year and her replacement has already been selected.
Robin Campbell decided to retire after 41 years of service with the state of Washington and Thurston County, according to a county news release.
“I want to give my utmost thanks to Robin as she begins to transition out of her role here at the county and into her next chapter of retirement,” County Manager Leonard Hernandez said in the news release. “Robin’s leadership and organizational knowledge will be missed greatly.”
Joshua Cummings, the former director of the county’s Community Planning and Economic Development department, has stepped into the role to overlap with Campbell’s last few months.
“Moving Josh into this role now allows for enough time for a transfer of knowledge, making this transition as smooth as possible for the county and staff,” Hernandez said. “Josh has a proven record with the county of tackling tough issues, with a customer service-oriented approach.”
Campbell started as the county’s assistant county manager and budget director in 2010, according to her LinkedIn profile. In that time, she has served under several county managers and even served as an interim county manager herself.
“I’ve had a long, rewarding career in government services – 27 years with the State of Washington, and over 14 years with Thurston County,” Campbell said in a statement to The Olympian. “I’m excited about retirement! My husband and I have been planning this for quite a while – we are ready for the next chapter in our life.”
The county’s announcement comes nearly five months after the Board of County Commissioners hired Hernandez as its new county manager. Hernandez replaced former county manager Ramiro Chavez who left the role in October 2023. Campbell served as interim county manager until Hernandez started in April.
In his new role, Cummings will help Hernandez oversee county departments and internal services. He will be paid $185,064 a year, which is higher than the $168,948 he earned as CPED director, according to Maria Aponte, the county’s Human Resources Director.
Campbell called Cummings a “great choice” for the role.
“I’ve worked with Josh since he joined the county,” Campbell said. “He’s passionate about providing excellent service to our community, and I’m sure he will continue to do an outstanding job in this new role.”
Cummings has led CPED since September 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile. To replace him, Cummings has appointed Ashley Arai as interim director for CPED until a permanent director may be hired.
“Ashley brings a depth of planning experience and a community-oriented demeanor that will serve her well in the role of interim director,” Cummings said in the news release. “I look forward to her leadership of the department and will be available to support her during this transition.”
Hernandez offered Cummings the assistant county manager position after an internal hiring process, Aponte said. The county did not post the open position for anyone to apply, she said, because a competitive recruitment process is not required for this role in the county’s at-will pay plan, she said.
The Board of County Commissioners supported Hernandez’s decision to hire Cummings, Aponte added.
“Conducting a recruitment process for a position at this level is time consuming and costly,” Aponte said. “The county sourced internal candidates and identified qualified employees who not only met or exceeded the qualifications of the position, but also were familiar with county operations, governance, county policies and procedures, experience with complex county issues, and had established professional relationships with internal employees and external stakeholders.”
Cummings joins Rob Gelder, another assistant county manager who was hired in April 2023. Notably, Gelder was not an internal hire. He served as a Kitsap County commissioner prior to being hired at Thurston County, then under the management of Chavez.
Hernandez said Gelder has been an “excellent addition to the team.”
“His past experience with elected offices and county management has been invaluable to our county as we move forward with the two additional commissioners and growth in staffing and population,” Hernandez said.
So what’s next for Campbell? She said she’s planning to enjoy her retirement, but as a long-time county resident, she said she will still look for ways to be involved.
“I am looking forward to spending time with my family and friends, and enjoying hobbies such as traveling, music, cooking, crafting and genealogy research,” Campbell said.
“I’ve lived in Thurston County for over 50 years, and while I haven’t settled on anything yet, I’ll be looking for ways to volunteer and continue to serve my community.”
This story was originally published August 28, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
