AAC Board Profile: Stone County Assessor Heather Stevens

Stone County assessor new to AAC board

Story and Photo by Holland Doran AAC Communications Coordinator

Stone County Assessor Heather Stevens can confidently say she’s “been there, done that” when it comes to running the office of county assessor.

Born and raised in Mountain View, Stevens has worked her way up the ranks from Stone County deputy assessor to a new member of the Association of Arkansas Counties (AAC) board of directors. The Arkansas County Assessor’s Association board elected her during its November meeting.

Stevens is honored to represent county assessors on the AAC board and eager to collaborate with other associations.

“I’m excited because being on the AAC board means you’re involved with every association,” she said. “You have a broader span than just being limited to an assessor’s perspective of government.”

After graduating from Mountain View High School in 1994, she earned an associate’s degree in applied science from Ozarka College.

She then took on the deputy assessor role under her mother, former Stone County Assessor Kay Harrington, who served from 1991 to 2008.

“There was not a nepotism policy at the time, but there is now,” she said. One of Stevens’ first projects was to plat out the entire county on paper. Though it was “quite an undertaking” at the time because they didn’t have the luxury of a computer or software, Stevens said she enjoys mapping. It is now her specialty.

“I love to map. It’s just interesting; it’s like putting together one big puzzle,” she said.

When Stevens’ mother retired in 2008, Stevens decided to run for assessor. She took office in 2009, and has loved it ever since.

“I love to serve in county government and for the best interest of the people,” she said. “We definitely need a voice for sure.”

Stevens has acute awareness of the needs of county assessors through her time in the Arkansas County Assessor’s Association. She served four years as a board member, one year as secretary/treasurer, one year as vice president and one year as president.

She also has been a voice for assessors at the state level, working with AAC to pass bills to help maintain the integrity of personal and homestead property taxes during the 2017 legislative session.

Stevens has discovered what it takes to expand her skills.

“Always have an open mind and open ears because you can learn something new every day,” she said.

She has used this knowledge as motivation to help her earn various designations through the Arkansas Assessment Coordination Department, and as a platform to encourage other assessors to do the same.

Stevens is currently working to earn the International Association of Assessing Officers’ (IAAO) cadastral mapping specialist designation.

She has received recognition for excellence in her assessing work. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe appointed her to serve on the Arkansas Geographic Information Systems Board, and IAAO named her Outstanding Assessor of the Year in 2016.

As a member of IAAO, Stevens looks forward to networking with assessors from around the world. “You get to meet a lot of new faces and see how they do things, what works and what doesn’t,” she said. Stevens and her husband, Dan, have been married 14 years. She has three children and two stepchildren that keep her on the move with their rodeo activities.

Few may know, but Stevens’ family is competitive chuck wagon racers. Her husband competes in National Chuckwagon Championship Races in Clinton as the Stone County Tick Pickers, while her girls are involved with the National Chuckwagon Championship Races drill team.

Stevens also enjoys coaching Upward Bound youth basketball and softball during the summer.