Legislative Services

With his family by his side and a guitar waiting nearby, Wise County Judge J.D. Clark was sworn in as the 2025-26 president of the National Association of Counties (NACo) on July 14 during NACo’s annual conference in Philadelphia.

Clark’s eldest daughter, Claire, administered the oath of office while his wife, Leah, and younger daughters, Maggie and Zelda, looked on.

Clark, who has served as Wise County judge since 2014, now leads an organization that represents 3,069 counties, parishes and boroughs across the United States. A former mayor of Chico and teacher, Clark began his public service career in 2006 when he was elected to the Chico City Council at age 20. He has held various leadership positions within NACo over the past decade.

Each NACo president launches a signature initiative during their one-year term. Clark’s is titled “County Storytellers.”

The campaign will encourage county officials to use narrative and other forms of storytelling to share the challenges and successes of county government. It’s a practice Clark sees as essential for building public trust and engagement.

“Stories still matter, whether a book, a poem, a speech, a song, whether delivered by a statesman, a filmmaker, an artist or a child, stories have shaped our world,” Clark told conference attendees at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

“And as county leaders, we are all storytellers. Stories help us cut through the noise, connect with our communities, and make an impact.”

A singer-songwriter in his limited spare time, Clark closed his inaugural speech by performing a song he wrote for the occasion. Titled “Hold That County Line,” the song is a tribute to the spirit of county service. Among its lyrics:

And it’s a breed apart, a public servant’s heart.

As for me and mine, we’ll hold that county line.

Three thousand sixty-nine,

Hold that county line.

Joining Clark on NACo’s executive committee are First Vice President George Dunlap of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina; Second Vice President Alisha Bell of Wayne County, Michigan; Immediate Past President James Gore of Sonoma County, California; and four regional representatives.

NACo Celebrates 90 Years

More than 200 Texas county officials made the trip to Philadelphia to support Clark’s inauguration and vote on NACo’s agenda for the year ahead. The conference also celebrated NACo’s 90th anniversary.

Throughout the four-day event, county leaders participated in caucus meetings and policy forums. Notable speakers included Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin and Doug Bradburn, president and CEO of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. On July 12, Clark moderated a conversation on leadership through empathy, optimism and resilience with the two presidential historians.

Go Deeper

To hear more about Clark’s vision for NACo and his priorities at home in Wise County, listen to the latest episode of Texas County Voice, the podcast of the Texas Association of Counties. And a profile of Clark will appear in the summer issue of TAC’s County magazine, arriving online and in your county mailbox in early August.