TAC Blog

What first drew you to county government, and what ultimately inspired you to become county treasurer?

My background in accounting and bookkeeping originally led me toward financial roles. After completing a year of commercial college, I spent four years working at a local bank, followed by a year in an insurance office. Because both my father and step-father—who was serving as the San Saba County Judge at the time—were actively involved in city and county government, public service felt like a natural step.

When my stepfather approached me about running for county treasurer and assisting with the conversion of manual ledger books into the county’s first ever financial software, (Yikes, I’m showing my age here, lol), all these factors aligned. I was elected and proudly served San Saba County for 18 years, and I have now had the privilege of serving Grayson County for nearly 12 years.

County treasurers play a critical role behind the scenes. What are some responsibilities of the office that people may not realize?

While roles can vary according to statute depending on the size of a Texas county, all county treasurers share core statutory duties. We are the banker for the county, handling complex fiscal responsibilities that extend far beyond baseline bookkeeping.

Most people know we manage county banking, but many don't realize we serve as a critical check-and-balance against fraud and ensure all county expenditures strictly align with state law. We act as the primary liaison between the county and our treasury management banking partners, playing a central role in the bank depository RFP process.

Additionally, we serve as investment officers, maximizing local taxpayer dollars through strategic investments. We also manage human resources and administrative duties, which includes overseeing payroll, benefits coordination and retirement management for all county officials and employees. Finally, we handle judicial and state compliance by accounting for the statutory fines and fees that must be remitted back to the state, serve as a statutory member of the county bail bond board, and we manage local unclaimed funds and property reporting before it is sent to the state comptroller.

How has the role of a county treasurer changed during your career?

For me, the biggest transformation has been the advancement of technology, which comes with its own unique set of pros and cons, having shifted from traditional ledger-keeping to high stakes digital security and modern financial management.

In treasury management, technological growth has opened new doorways for fraudsters. Because we are responsible for protecting the public funds entrusted to us, we must remain exceptionally vigilant when transacting money. This means constant monitoring of real-time banking activity and keeping our guard up against increasingly sophisticated email phishing attempts. It is critically important for treasurers to learn and understand the different fraud prevention tools and features banks offer through their treasury management platforms and utilize them when possible. 

What has been the most rewarding part of serving Grayson County?

Without a doubt, it is the incredible team and workplace family I get to collaborate with every day. I truly love coming to work. There is a well-known saying: "Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life," and that rings entirely true for me. It gives me immense pleasure to show up every day and fulfill the oath I took to serve the citizens of Grayson County and to work with people I truly respect and admire.

We try to keep things upbeat, lighthearted and laugh as often as possible, because goodness knows county government can be a little trying sometimes. 

As a TAC Board member, what do you believe are the biggest opportunities for TAC to continue supporting counties?

With technology evolving so quickly, one of the biggest opportunities lies in staying ahead of these advancements, educating our members, and finding innovative ways to protect Texas counties' assets, infrastructure, and taxpayer dollars. TAC is currently tackling this by expanding the County Information Resources Agency (CIRA), which provides crucial cybersecurity solutions and digital services tailored to Texas counties of all sizes. 

County government continues to evolve with new technology and changing expectations. How do you balance innovation with responsible financial stewardship?

It requires keeping clear, open lines of communication with everyone I work alongside — including fellow elected officials, the auditor, human resources, IT, purchasing and emergency management. We regularly meet to evaluate new innovations or procedural changes that could enhance our essential services. Striking the right balance takes frank discussions, careful planning and collective problem-solving to ensure we utilize our financial resources in the most efficient way possible for our constituency.

As an example, we are currently looking at possibly transitioning over to a more innovative third-party payment processing/payment gateway system that has a better fit for all our county departments and the citizens payment application needs. 

If every Texan understood one thing about county government, what would you want it to be?

For Grayson County, I want Texans to know how hard we work to remain innovative and deeply mindful of the financial stewardship entrusted to us. Most importantly, successful outcomes require true teamwork and open-minded approaches.

I like to use the analogy of a wagon wheel: Every single spoke must work in tandem to keep the wheel turning smoothly. Most people truly do not understand the magnitude of the operations of county government, so I strongly encourage folks to stop by our offices, ask questions and learn more about our roles and responsibilities. It’s important that they understand every office in county government must operate according to state statute and other government codes, and that we are limited as to what we can and cannot do.

What do you enjoy doing outside the courthouse to relax and recharge?

Outside the office, I love spending quality time with my son, catching up with my family back in San Saba, and visiting friends across the state. I also enjoy listening to live music, traveling whenever I can, working in my yard and exploring estate sales and thrift shops. Occasionally, I like to re-finish a piece of furniture to give it new life. For me, the most therapeutic and relaxing way to recharge is simply spending time in or around the water or staring mindlessly into the flames of my patio chiminea or a warm campfire.