Newly elected officials train over two-week period

Newly elected officials train over two-week span

The AAC hosted training for newly elected officials over the course of two weeks in December. Some groups, such as the sheriffs, met for a full week. Others met for either one or two full days. This new approach to training allowed staff members to offer more personalized service, catering the coursework to each specific office.

Top: The Sheriffs Association of Arkansas hosted a week-long training program for newly elected sheriffs at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock. Fifteen of the 21 new sheriffs were able to attend.

MIddle left: Incoming county clerks Shawndra Taggart (Jefferson County) and Brandi McCoy (St. Francis County) go over documents and ask questions of the speakers.

Middle right: Izard County Treasurer-elect Warren Sanders speaks with seasoned treasurers Debbie Cross (Greene County) and Loletia Rather (Pike County).

Bottom: AAC Executive Director Chris Villines, who delivered an introduction to the association, as well as a presentation on retirement, to each group, chats with incoming county clerks Karen Smith (Hempstead County) and Tanya Diotte (Grant County).

Left: Assessors Roderick Grieve (Benton), Sandra Heiner (Crawford) and Zach Johnson (Sebastian) listen intently to the speaker. Right: New Ouachita County Circuit Clerk Gladys Nettles visits with AAC Member Benefits Coordinator Becky Comet, who spoke to each group about benefits available to them, and Crawford County Circuit Clerk Sharon Blount-Baker, who is second vice-president of the Arkansas Crcuit Clerks Association.

Left: New justices of the peace met on a Saturday and heard presentations targeted specifically to their jobs. Those standing against the wall in this photo were waiting in line to get their photo taken for a county identification card. Right: Little River County Sheriff/Collector Bobby Walraven brought Deputy Collector Mary Baker to the newly elected collectors’ meeting.

Left: St. Francis County Coroner (seated far right at the front table) brought several of his deputy coroners to the training with him. In all, there were 11 new coroners elected in November. Right: The county judges’ two-day training was well attended, with 19 of the 20 new judges present. County Judges’ Association of Arkansas President and Sebastian County Judge David Hudson (in foreground) helped lead the training.