Two department heads are to share responsibility for leading the Rockbridge County government on a temporary basis following the retirement of County Administrator Spencer Suter in a few weeks.
Ashton Harrison, director of finance, and Chris Slaydon, director of community development, will share these duties when Suter, county administrator since 2012, steps down in September. Suter announced his pending retirement in June.
The county made the announcement in a press release issued Tuesday. The Board of Supervisors, which held a closed session after its regular meeting Monday night, “has reviewed options to fill the role on an interim basis, until the position can be filled on a more permanent basis. The Board reviewed several potential options, and has determined that two current departments heads, [Harrison and Slaydon], will act as a team to fulfill the interim role.”
Slaydon has worked for the county since 2003, serving as assistant director of planning and zoning and zoning administrator before assuming his current post. Harrison has been the county’s finance director since 2022, with prior service as county administrator in neighboring Bath County, and as county administrator in Montezuma County, Colo.
Suter provided the Board with options for the interim appointment and recommended the staff team approach. “The combination of skills and experience that Ashton and Chris bring to the table made our decision very easy for us,” said Board Chairman David Mc-Daniel. “We have full faith and confidence in them, as well as in our full staff team.”
Slaydon and Harrison will shadow Suter through August, acclimating themselves to standard tasks commonly assigned to the administrator position.
“It was really a very easy recommendation for me to make,” said Suter. “We already operate in a close knit, team environment, so this should be a fairly seamless transition for the interim period. Reporting relationships of department heads will be divided between the two, and they will closely coordinate on decisions that I would normally make.”
The Board has retained the Berkley Group LLC, based in Bridgewater, for the executive search for the county’s next administrator. The position advertisement is expected to be posted in early August, with initial applications accepted through the first of September, after which the Board will narrow the field and conduct interviews. Depending on the final selection, the position could be filled as early as November.
