August 15, 2008

“My work with the County has provided many challenges and opportunities over the years,” Ikerd said. “I have been fortunate to be part of a very stable, committed, and progressive County administration. Catawba County has a reputation statewide for being a leader in local government and I will miss being part of the decision making team. But I’m looking forward to having the time to travel, spending more time with my husband, Reid, and my family, near and far, and increasing my volunteer efforts at church and in the community. Having time to take classes in areas in which I have an interest will be great!”

As Budget Manager, Ikerd has overseen the preparation of a detailed annual County budget document for submission to the County Manager and the Board of Commissioners on a very specific time frame. It’s a year round task that begins, after the adoption of a budget on July 1st of a given year, with an analysis of how that budget is actually corresponding to the County’s funding needs and available funds. The process continues through early fall with an analysis of the revenues expected to be available during the next year, followed by a series of meetings with various county department heads and representatives of other agencies which are funded by the County, before a draft budget is sent to the County Manager in the spring of each year. After holding a series of preliminary hearings with departments and agencies, the County Manager then sends a recommended budget to the Board of Commissioners for their study, a formal round of budget hearings, a public hearing, and the Board’s final amendments and approval.

“I’ve been blessed to work with department directors and employees who have had a commitment to the public sector and the capacity to grow and adapt,” said Tom Lundy, Catawba County Manager. “Judy has had a stellar record of growth and accomplishment with Catawba County. She’s accepted every challenge and opportunity I’ve asked her to assume, and has left each responsibility in better condition than when she started. She’s steadily expanded her knowledge, competence and confidence, and consistently improved her value to the organization and to me. In each field, she’s become recognized as a leader in North Carolina, and risen to positions of leadership. In addition, her personal relationships and strong community involvement have built trust and effectiveness between county government and agencies which provide services to citizens in Catawba County. We’re going to miss her personality, humor and positive outlook.”

A native of Troy, New York, Ikerd attended public schools in upstate New York and Broward Junior College in Florida. She moved to North Carolina in 1974 on her marriage to Reid Ikerd, a native of Newton, North Carolina, who is a retired employee of the Newton-Conover City School System. She began her work for Catawba County on February 25, 1980 as a part time purchasing clerk. She was named the County’s Purchasing Agent in August 1981 and became Central Services Manager, responsible for the County’s buildings and grounds and vehicle maintenance, in 1987. She was appointed Budget Manager by Lundy on September 1, 1989.

Ikerd’s career has included milestones within the County organization and on the local and state level. She successfully completed four Certified Professional Management Field Exams in 1984, becoming the first woman in local government in North or South Carolina to pass those tests. She also earned the Certified Local Government Purchasing Officers Certification through the Institute of Government in Chapel Hill.

Ikerd was a member of an original steering committee that worked with the School of Government at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill to create a system to measure local government performance. She served on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Local Government Budget Association from 1992 through 1998 and served as president of that Association in 1996 and 1997.

Ikerd and the Budget Office staff have won the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from
the Government Finance Officers Association for twenty consecutive years. The award is presented to local governments which produce budget documents judged by peers to be easy to read and understand, and which serve as a sound policy document, financial plan, operations guide and communications device. Fewer than 3% of local governments across the United States and Canada have won the award for twenty or more years in a row.

She was named Catawba County's Employee Of The Year in 1997, in recognition for outstanding service throughout her career and during that year.

Ikerd has been very active in her community. She has served as a Loaned Executive with the Catawba County United Way and has co-chaired the County employee United Way campaign, traditionally among the top ranked in terms of dollars given, on several occasions. She has chaired the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce Education Council and served on the Board of Directors of the Family Guidance Center. She has volunteered with the Aids Leadership Foothills Alliance (ALFA) and with the Hickory Community Theater, and has been very active with the Green Room Theatre in Newton, including service as president of the Green Room Board of Directors. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Parenting Network and is a member of the Newton Women’s Club and the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. She has also served as a youth counselor, Sunday School teacher, and Finance Committee member at First United Methodist Church in Newton.

Judy and Reid Ikerd have two daughters: Mandy Simpson, who is a marketing manager and lives in Hickory with husband, Nat and son, Pete, and Joanna Souza, who lives in High Point with her husband, Wellington, where she is a curriculum facilitator with Guilford County Schools.