History of the Office

A History of the County Executive Officer Position

There have been five County Executive Officers since 1985. The position was first created in 1985 as the County Administrator and later in 2001 the title was changed to County Executive Officer. Here is a brief summary about the five individuals who have held this office:

Gene Albaugh

Gene was Nevada County's first County Executive Officer. Appointed in February of 1985, he served until his retirement in May of 1992. Back then he was called the County Administrator and he previously served as the County's Director of Personnel and Administration. He retired as Nevada City's City Manager.

Doug Latimer

Doug Served as County Administrator from 1992 until 1995. He had previously served as Nevada County Chief Probation Officer and as Assistant County Executive Officer. He went on to be a long serving County Administrator in Shasta County. He retired from that position in 2007.

David Brennan

David first served as Nevada County's Assistant County Executive Officer. He became County Administrator in 1995 serving until 1999. He was appointed City Manager of Sebastapol that year. He retired from that position in 2009. He was appointed as the City Manager of Nevada City in 2011 and has since retired.

Ted Gaebler

Ted, a long time City Manager and author, was appointed in January 2000. He was the first to hold the title of County Executive Officer. He served until December 2002. In 2003, he was appointed the first City Manager of Rancho Cordova, one of California's newest cities. He retired as City Manager of Rancho Cordova in 2014.

Rick Haffey

Rick was appointed County Executive Officer (CEO) in January 2003 after more than two years as Assistant CEO. Rick brought over 35 years of public sector experience to Nevada County government, including perspectives from positions as an appointed manager, an elected official, and manager of a non-profit community partner. He served for 12 years as an elected official including being twice the Mayor of the City of South San Francisco and as an elected school board member. Rick retired as CEO of Nevada County in 2018 after 15 years of service.

Alison Lehman

Alison was appointed as County Executive Officer (CEO) in September 2018 after more than six years as Assistant CEO. Prior to moving to the County Executive Office, Alison held several senior management positions as the Interim Human Resources Director, the Health and Human Services Program Manager and Director of Social Services. For more information on Alison, read her background.