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By FRANK SHANLY
It might be one of the smallest local government offices under the county umbrella, but changes on “the board”, a move to different premises and a full turnover of staff put the Emergency Management Office at the top of the list when it comes to change during 2008.
Heading the Wells County Emergency Management Advisory Committee in 2008 are Sheriff Bob Frantz (President), Blake Poindexter (Vice President) and Tina Dudgeon (Recording Secretary).
At the beginning of the year the physical location of the office changed, as a game of “musical chairs” was forced at the courthouse by the need to provide more room for the rapidly expanding Community Corrections office.
As a result, the Emergency Management Office was moved back to the Carnegie Annex on West Washington St., opposite the Wells County Public Library.
The departure of former director Jerri Lehman shortly after this date saw Sherry Johnson take over as director, and over recent weeks, Diane Rockwell has also left the office, and at the time of writing this article, no decision has been made on her replacement.
Being thrust right into the eye of the storm of change has provided a huge challenge for Johnson, but it seems to be one she is well qualified to meet. While “emergency management” itself may be new to her, she has extensive financial management experience, a Purdue degree in agricultural finance, and a wealth of “local knowledge” on which to call.
The daughter of Ray and Jerry Shaw, Johnson grew up in Harrison Township and graduated from Bluffton High School. After then graduating from Purdue University she spent 15 years working in the banking industry, and worked for what is currently Chase Bank in Fort Wayne, eventually moving back to Wells County about eight years ago.
“The reason I took the job was that I was looking for some way to get involved in the community.” explained Johnson. “I really like working with people and I’m meeting all kinds of good, hard-working people, and I’m really enjoying that part.
“The biggest challenge is just getting organized. Because I don’t have a (EMA) background, I’m at a slight disadvantage with just the volume of plans we have for different aspects of emergency management, (so the challenge) is getting up to speed on those.”
“A lot of what I’m going to be doing initially is making sure all the plans are up to date. I’m also going to try and get out and meet everyone. This whole job is about building relationships and building teams. We al have our own hats to wear but when it comes down to it, we all work together. So I see that as a big responsibility and I’m getting to know people.”
With one of her first major assignments being the preparation of the office’s 2009 budget for presentation to the County Council, the new job is providing some familiar ground for Johnson in her first few weeks.
“As I sat down to work on the budgets this morning I felt ‘Wow, this is the first time I’ve really felt comfortable.” laughed Johnson. “This is something I know.”
In her banking career, Johnson worked as an underwriter, looking at businesses, analyzing the risks of the businesses that her bank was lending money to, presenting written reports and managing staff. This combination of duties helped her to develop most of the skills she will be required to call upon in her new position however, as the position of EMA Director is largely about organizing the right resources to meet the situation.
“The job (in an emergency) is about managing the people and managing the information that is coming in and going out.” explained Johnson. “And I think that when the advisory council hired me, that was what they were looking for. Someone who had management and organizational skills. I know that grant writing is very important to the county and I think I can help with that. I think I have a clear handle on that also.”
Johnson is finding her Purdue degree (agricultural finance) is also proving valuable.
“As we’re dealing with things like flood plans and also a lot of our hazardous material responses are ag related, so I have a good background in that area too.” enthused Johnson.
Johnson’s job will continue to be a part-time position, although state government officials are endeavoring to “encourage” all counties to make the job full-time.
Trying to fit all the tasks into the limited number of hours will be another immediate challenge for Johnson, but it certainly isn’t phasing her.
“I’m just looking forward to getting out and meeting people.”
Johnson also has a longer term goal of developing the “educational side” of her job, and getting the message of the need to prepare for an emergency out to the general public.
“I think there are a lot of lessons from Hurricane Katrina.” noted Johnson. “You’ve got to have medicines, you’ve got to have enough water to get you through at least three days.
I might not get to that right away, but I am looking forward to doing it.”
frank@news-banner.com