Clark County names next chief executive
Clark County on Tuesday named Deputy County Manager Kevin Schiller to be the county’s next chief executive.
Schiller’s first day in his new job will be Nov. 11, a day after current County Manager Yolanda King retires. The Clark County commission voted unanimously on the appointment.
“That vote of confidence is great, but there’s challenges that lie ahead,” he said after the vote. “It’s a team effort.”
The county hired Schiller in 2017 from Washoe County, where he was the director of the Department of Social Services for 17 years, and climbed the ranks to assistant county manager.
He’s been “integral” in navigating the county through the pandemic and housing crisis, according to Clark County, which is the 11th largest county in the United States with a $9.4 billion yearly budget and 10,000 employees.
Schiller holds a bachelor’s degree in social service from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Gibson said that the application process was only open to in-house candidates
“We’ve interviewed remarkably talented people that make up a very strong leadership team in Clark County,” he said Tuesday. “We knew that we had enormous talent inside the organization.”
The commissioner lamented King’s departure: “This is one of the times that we know the great loss we’re experiencing.”
On the other hand, he told Schiller, “you know the ins and out of the county.” Gibson said he was proud of Schiller’s accomplishments.
Later, in a statement, Schiller wrote he would “champion” public service and work on retention and recruitment of staff and “advocate for and create solutions to help ensure our region continues to be a wonderful place to live.”
Schiller grew emotional as he thanked King, who’d brought him onboard, and the county’s leadership team.
He recalled a conversation he had with Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick when he first arrived and she told him, “let’s see what you’ve got.”
“It’s quite an honor to be here,” he said. “I just want to thank each and every one of you, and I will get it done.”
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickytwrites.
