The National Association of Counties' (NACo) 71st Annual Conference in Cook County, Ill., concluded with elections of Executive Committee Officers. Don Stapley, Chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, was elected First Vice President. This positions Supervisor Stapley to assume the presidency of the national organization in two years.
Stapley is in his fourth term representing District 2 in Maricopa County, which comprises parts of Gilbert, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Scottsdale and Fountain Hills.
“Maricopa is the third largest county in the nation,” says Stapley. “We should be involved in leadership to increase our national visibility.”
Stapley has been involved with NACo for over a decade. He has served on the Board of Directors, the Large Urban County Caucus (Chairman), the Homeland Security Task Force, the Justice and Law Enforcement Committee and the Medicare/Medicaid Reform Task Force.
In 2004, American City and County Magazine named Stapley "County Leader of the Year" and featured him on the cover with the phrase, "Stapley practices his talent for bringing people together to accomplish common goals."
NACo officers serve as members of NACo's Executive Committee of the Board of Directors. Executive Committee members (president, president-elect, first vice president, second vice president and immediate past president) are elected officials of active NACo member counties who serve as officers of the association.
The NACo Board of Directors supervise, manage and control the business and property of the association; determine NACo's mission as identified by the members; monitor NACo's success in fulfilling its mission; and ensure that NACo will be able to continue to fulfill its mission.