July 16, 2009
Contact: Teresa Hamilton Hall
Roanoke County Public Information Director
(540)772.2010
thall@RoanokeCountyVA.gov
Roanoke County Assistant Administrator John Chambliss Set to Retire July 31
Roanoke County’s assistant administrator, John Chambliss, will retire on July 31, 2009 after 36 years of service. Mr. Chambliss was first hired on June 11, 1973, as assistant finance officer, working his way through the department until he became its director in 1978. In March 1986 he was promoted to assistant county administrator, where he will serve until his retirement at the end of the month. Mr. Chambliss also served as interim county administrator for almost nine months after County Administrator Elmer Hodge retired in June 2008.
“It’s not unusual to find long serving employees in local government,” says Clay Goodman, Roanoke County’s new administrator. “Administrators at this level, however, tend to come and go. John Chambliss is unique in this regard and his long term service underscores his commitment to the Roanoke Valley. His good works are evident in all corners of Roanoke County government.”
John Chambliss has been influential in the design and success of numerous projects and initiatives that have benefited not only the citizens of Roanoke County but those in the surrounding region as well, including the community policy and management team, the regional juvenile detention center, and a new facility for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and its governing municipal panel. Mr. Chambliss has been an integral part of the CORTRAN program since its inception, providing much needed public transportation for the County’s elderly and handicapped citizens. Most recently he was instrumental in the formation of the Western Virginia Regional Jail Authority, serving on its board and as Roanoke County’s administrator for the site selection, development, and successful completion of the facility. Mr. Chambliss has also represented Roanoke County on numerous advisory boards and committees, including the Court Community Corrections Program, the Regional Community Criminal Justice Board, the Regional Center for Animal Control and Protection, the Roanoke Valley Juvenile Detention Commission, and the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority. To underscore his belief in service to the Roanoke Valley, John Chambliss has also volunteered as a Roanoke County firefighter for 13 years, reaching the rank of volunteer captain.
Chambliss and his wife, Judy, live in Roanoke County and have two grown children and two young grandchildren. A retirement reception will be held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 23 in the fourth floor lobby of the Roanoke County Administration Center, 5204 Bernard Drive, Roanoke.
