NACRC Official of the Year

Official Guidelines

The Public Official of the Year Award recognizes the member who has best exemplified a commitment to excellence in county government, as well as exhibiting exemplary service to the community they serve. It is the highest award that NACRC presents to any member.

The boards of commissioners or supervisors, state associations, individual recorder, election official or clerk making the nomination must be a current member in good standing of the National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks.

The nominee must be a current member in good standing of the National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks.

Nominations should include support documents, such as newspaper articles, resumes and/or letters of support which illustrate the reasons the nominated individual should receive the award.

All nomination materials must be received in the NACRC Executive Director’s Office (Executive Director, NACRC, 2501 Aerial Center Parkway Suite 103, Morrisville, NC 27560; fax = 919.459.2075; email = info@nacrc.org) by the indicated deadline. Materials arriving after that deadline will not be considered.

The current president of the Association will appoint a committee chair and at least two members to review the nominations; members of said committee and nominees will remain anonymous.

After the deadline for submitting nominations, the Executive Director will forward all materials to the members of the selection committee.

The selection committee may at any time during the selection process contact the nominator for additional information or supporting materials.

After the committee has selected the recipient, the chair of the selection committee will report to the executive director who the winner is so that the award plaque can be ordered.

The Public Official of the Year Award will be presented each year at the Installation and Awards Banquet during the Annual Conference.

These guidelines will be reviewed each year by the Awards Committee for any changes or additions that might need to be made.

Each year, the Public Official of the Year Award honors a person that has exemplified leadership, ingenuity and excellence in his or her office. Excellence in government is a challenge in our ever-changing world. Delivering top quality service during good times is easy; only those with long-term vision are able to continue to deliver quality service in bad times.

The winner of this year’s Public Official of the Year Award is a person who has consistently displayed leadership, excellence, and integrity during her 17 years with County Records. A member in good standing of NACRC for well over five years, she has served not only as a co-chair of a NACRC Interest Group, but also worked her way up through the ranks to eventually hold the office of president. A regular conference attendee, she has been a significant contributor to conference planning, session content, and securing presenters on various topics for the NACRC membership, demonstrating her unique leadership ability for NACRC.

This person migrated the Recording function from a strictly manual process to be the first County to complete a fully electronic recording. Additionally, she has overseen the modernization of nearly every aspect of the Division’s operations. She is committed to her staff and believes in cultivating talent from within.

With this person’s arrival as County Records Director, recordings were still being stamped by hand; almost all processes were done manually; and at one point, recordings hit a six-month backlog, which caused title insurers to stop writing title insurance and demand better service from the Board of County Commissioners. This person understood the need for innovative leadership when she agreed to work with vendors to develop cutting-edge land records software applications. The Division was able to absorb a 38% increase in volume without increasing the number of staff when the housing market took off in the late 1990s.

Above all, this person has successfully navigated through the good and bad times in the real estate market with integrity. During the current fiscal crisis, her county’s records division will be able to cut its budget by 15% without layoffs.

This person is kind, fair and an outstanding leader within her office and our association. It is with great honor that I announce this year’s winner of the Public Official of the Year Award: Sue Baldwin.

Public Official of the Year Recipients

2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1985
1984
1983
1982
1981
1980
1979
1978
1977
1976
1975
1974
1973
1972

Sue Baldwin, Recorder, Broward County, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
David Orr, Cook County, IL
John T. Frey, Clerk, Fairfax Circuit Court, Fairfax, VA
Scott Doyle, clerk of Larimer County, CO
JoAnn Thomas, Peoria County, IL
Mark Monacelli, St. Louis County, MN
Cathy Pearsall-Stipek, Pierce County, WA
Maxine Olson-Hill, Burleigh County, ND
John O’Brien, Essex County, MA
Duane Smith, Minidoka County, ID
Rebecca Jackson, Jefferson County, KY
E. William (Bill) James, Blue Earth County, MN
Bernice A. Peterson, Sonoma County, CA
Ardis Schmitt, El Paso County, CO
Donna McKendrick, Tooele County, UT
Judith Medearis, Hamilton County, TN
Joan Swift, Clark County, NV

Ernest Hawkins, Sacramento County, CA
Nina B. Reid, Utah County, UT
Helen Hudgens, Coconino County, AZ
Elizabeth Stokes, Roanoke County, VA
Bernice J. Conley, Jackson County, MO
Jim Watkins, Lake County, FL
William F. Huish, Utah County, UT
Irene Pruitt, Rockingham County, NC
Marjorie Page, Arapahoe County, CO
Loretta Bowman, Clark County, NV
Katie Dixon, Salt Lake County, UT
E.D. “Bud” Dixon, Polk County, FL
Joe Breidenbach, Walworth County, WI
Oscar Soliz, Nueces County, TX
Betty June Hayes, Orange County, NC
Eulalia Hotz, Madison County, IL
Fred G. Hill, Jefferson County, TX
Eunice Ayers, Forsyth County, NC
William G. Sharpe, Los Angeles County, CA

Official Guidelines The Public Official of the Year Award recognizes the member who has best exemplified a commitment to excellence in county government, as well as exhibiting exemplary service to the community they serve. It is the highest award that NACRC presents to any member. The boards of commissioners or supervisors, state associations, individual recorder, election official or clerk making the nomination must be a current member in good standing of the National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks. The nominee must be a current member in good standing of the National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks. Nominations should include support documents, such as newspaper articles, resumes and/or letters of support which illustrate the reasons the nominated individual should receive the award. All nomination materials must be received in the NACRC Executive Director’s Office (Executive Director, NACRC, 2501 Aerial Center Parkway Suite 103, Morrisville, NC 27560; fax = 919.459.2075; email = info@nacrc.org) by the indicated deadline. Materials arriving after that deadline will not be considered. The current president of the Association will appoint a committee chair and at least two members to review the nominations; members of said committee and nominees will remain anonymous. After the deadline for submitting nominations, the Executive Director will forward all materials to the members of the selection committee. The selection committee may at any time during the selection process contact the nominator for additional information or supporting materials. After the committee has selected the recipient, the chair of the selection committee will report to the executive director who the winner is so that the award plaque can be ordered. The Public Official of the Year Award will be presented each year at the Installation and Awards Banquet during the Annual Conference. These guidelines will be reviewed each year by the Awards Committee for any changes or additions that might need to be made. Each year, the Public Official of the Year Award honors a person that has exemplified leadership, ingenuity and excellence in his or her office. Excellence in government is a challenge in our ever-changing world. Delivering top quality service during good times is easy; only those with long-term vision are able to continue to deliver quality service in bad times. The winner of this year’s Public Official of the Year Award is a person who has consistently displayed leadership, excellence, and integrity during her 17 years with County Records. A member in good standing of NACRC for well over five years, she has served not only as a co-chair of a NACRC Interest Group, but also worked her way up through the ranks to eventually hold the office of president. A regular conference attendee, she has been a significant contributor to conference planning, session content, and securing presenters on various topics for the NACRC membership, demonstrating her unique leadership ability for NACRC. This person migrated the Recording function from a strictly manual process to be the first County to complete a fully electronic recording. Additionally, she has overseen the modernization of nearly every aspect of the Division’s operations. She is committed to her staff and believes in cultivating talent from within. With this person’s arrival as County Records Director, recordings were still being stamped by hand; almost all processes were done manually; and at one point, recordings hit a six-month backlog, which caused title insurers to stop writing title insurance and demand better service from the Board of County Commissioners. This person understood the need for innovative leadership when she agreed to work with vendors to develop cutting-edge land records software applications. The Division was able to absorb a 38% increase in volume without increasing the number of staff when the housing market took off in the late 1990s. Above all, this person has successfully navigated through the good and bad times in the real estate market with integrity. During the current fiscal crisis, her county’s records division will be able to cut its budget by 15% without layoffs. This person is kind, fair and an outstanding leader within her office and our association. It is with great honor that I announce this year’s winner of the Public Official of the Year Award: Sue Baldwin.

Public Official of the Year Recipients
2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972	Sue Baldwin, Recorder, Broward County, Ft. Lauderdale, FL David Orr, Cook County, IL John T. Frey, Clerk, Fairfax Circuit Court, Fairfax, VA Scott Doyle, clerk of Larimer County, CO JoAnn Thomas, Peoria County, IL Mark Monacelli, St. Louis County, MN Cathy Pearsall-Stipek, Pierce County, WA Maxine Olson-Hill, Burleigh County, ND John O’Brien, Essex County, MA Duane Smith, Minidoka County, ID Rebecca Jackson, Jefferson County, KY E. William (Bill) James, Blue Earth County, MN Bernice A. Peterson, Sonoma County, CA Ardis Schmitt, El Paso County, CO Donna McKendrick, Tooele County, UT Judith Medearis, Hamilton County, TN Joan Swift, Clark County, NV Ernest Hawkins, Sacramento County, CA Nina B. Reid, Utah County, UT Helen Hudgens, Coconino County, AZ Elizabeth Stokes, Roanoke County, VA Bernice J. Conley, Jackson County, MO Jim Watkins, Lake County, FL William F. Huish, Utah County, UT Irene Pruitt, Rockingham County, NC Marjorie Page, Arapahoe County, CO Loretta Bowman, Clark County, NV Katie Dixon, Salt Lake County, UT E.D. “Bud” Dixon, Polk County, FL Joe Breidenbach, Walworth County, WI Oscar Soliz, Nueces County, TX Betty June Hayes, Orange County, NC Eulalia Hotz, Madison County, IL Fred G. Hill, Jefferson County, TX Eunice Ayers, Forsyth County, NC William G. Sharpe, Los Angeles County, CA