A familiar face

 

Jeremy Raley new Goochland County Administrator

At an early morning special called meeting on Friday, May 23, the Goochland Board of Supervisors did not go into closed session as previously announced for final deliberations on its choice for the next county administrator.  Instead, Board Chair Tom Winfree, District 3 proclaimed that the Board’s unanimous choice was Jeremy Raley, Ed.D. of Maidens. All supervisors except Charlie Vaughters, District 4, who participated electronically, were present at the event.

The board unanimously adopted a resolution appointing Raley as County Administrator and Clerk of the Board of Supervisors and authorized Winfree to execute Raley’s employment contract, which was signed in front of the assemblage.

Eight years and eleven months to the day when Raley was selected to be Superintendent of Goochland Schools, he took the oath of office for county administrator administered by Amanda Adams, Clerk of the Circuit Court. He starts work on June 9.

Surrounded by Supervisors Spoonhower, Lyle, Christie, Interim County Administrator Manuel Alvarez, Jr. and Winfree Raley takes the oath of office from The Hon. Amanda Adams

The board met in closed session at “undisclosed locations” several times during the past few weeks to interview candidates. This is the third time in the past five years that the position has changed hands, not counting two “interimships” by the Hon. Manuel Alvarez, Jr., former District 2 supervisor, who has been at the county’s helm since February 24 following the departure of Vic Carpenter.

Unlike the past two county administrator searches conducted by previous supervisors, this board chose not to retain a “headhunter” for the task. Instead, the position was posted on the websites of several governmental organizations, generating 33 responses without incurring significant expense to the county. “We were flattered that so many excellent candidates were interested in the county administrator position,” said Winfree.

Raley was Superintendent of Goochland Schools from 2016 to March 2023, when he was appointed to the position of Chief of Staff to the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Commonwealth by Governor Glen Youngkin. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree and doctorate in organization leadership from Shenandoah University.

Among Raley’s many professional qualifications, the fact that he and his wife and two children have lived in the county for almost nine years and is a part of the community, may be the most important. He “gets” Goochland and understands our strengths and challenges. Comments he made to the supervisors after the appointment illustrate this.

“I had prepared remarks and knew what I wanted to say,” he began. “But after being here today, it just reminded me of how wonderful this community is and how thankful I have been to serve this community for several years in a different role but now I have a chance to serve as your county administrator.

“This is a job that I take very seriously, and I’m humbled and quite honestly thankful for the trust and confidence you have placed in me to serve alongside you and do amazing things for the citizens of this fantastic community.

“When I moved my family halfway across the state in 2016 to serve as superintendent I never in a million years thought that I would be able to serve as superintendent and now as county administrator in a place that is now my home. A place where we have planted roots and want to be for many, many years.”

He glanced around the boardroom filled with people from the school division, Sheriff’s Office, Fire-Rescue, Commonwealth’s Attorney, county staff, and others. “I’m grateful for everybody who showed up here today in support. It feels great to see familiar faces, folks that I have served and worked with and folks that I know are true servants to Goochland County. I’m really excited to work alongside them and get to know them better. It’s truly a pleasure to have an opportunity to serve. I’m grateful for your confidence.

“Any leader knows that having a support system and network is extremely important. I want to publicly thank my wife Cindy who has been behind me every step of the way through a lot of challenging times in leadership. She is a trusted confidant and counsel to me. I enlisted her counsel on something yesterday and she steered me in the right direction. Cindy, I just want to say publicly thank you, I love you, and I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me.

“I’m excited to get started on June 9^th. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

District 5 Supervisor Jonathan Lyle comically alluded to the long hours that the county administrator’s job requires by producing a milk carton with Raley’s photo on it like those used to find missing children.

“The position Jeremy’s taken today will likely remind him of his two a day football resume from his days at UVa. It’s going to take a lot of energy, effort, and enthusiasm to guide his team, actually our team, to reach the goals this board has set. Those efforts won’t happen in a vacuum but will have an impact on his family as well. They know what they signed up for, but I hope that Jeremy’s commitment to his work doesn’t require these cartons to stay on the shelf for long.”

Milk carton and red phone 

Lyle then produced a special red “dad we need you” hotline as a constant reminder to Raley that, no matter how important things get on the third floor of the administration building, he has a more important job as part of a family.

( See GOMM ICYMI for the recruitment packet circulated during the search.)

Raley’s resume ticked all the boxes for the supervisors, who are believed to have spent time in one-on-one discussions about the position with “finalist” candidates to select someone well-qualified for job who will stay for more than a minute. As a Goochland resident since 2016, Raley is familiar with the community, which will enable him to hit the ground running—given his background as a gridiron star at the University of Virginia, there will be sports metaphors.

Winfree said the day was a happy time, the result of a very deliberate process that resulted in a unanimous decision. “We’ve hired a star and have the utmost confidence that Mr. Raley,” he said. “I urge the public to stay tuned because the county’s on a roll and we’ve got a lot of opportunities ahead of us.”

Alvarez is expected to work with Raley during a transition period.

Welcome back Jeremy!

Raley's new team minus Charlie Vaughters