CONTACT: Meghan Porter, Communications Manager, Board of County Commissioners Office, 360-490-0562 or Meghan.porter@co.thurston.wa.us

OLYMPIA – After 41 years of public service with the State of Washington and Thurston County, Assistant County Manager, Robin Campbell, has announced her retirement and will be ending her tenure with the county at the end of this year. With her retirement, the county announces Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) Director, Joshua Cummings, as the new assistant county manager. Cummings begins his role as assistant county manager immediately to overlap with Campbell as she works toward her retirement.

“I want to give my utmost thanks to Robin as she begins to transition out of her role here at the county and into her next chapter of retirement,” said County Manager, Leonard Hernandez, “Robin’s leadership and organizational knowledge will be missed greatly.” Hernandez added, “Moving Josh into this role now allows for enough time for a transfer of knowledge, making this transition as smooth as possible for the county and staff. Josh has a proven record with the county of tackling tough issues, with a customer service oriented approach.”

Cummings will be joining Rob Gelder, Assistant County Manager, who joined the county in April of 2023, in overseeing the departments and internal services for the county. “Rob has been an excellent addition to the team,” said Hernandez. He added, “His past experience with elected offices and county management has been invaluable to our county as we move forward with the two additional commissioners and growth in staffing and population.”

The shared coverage of county departments provides more oversight and a more coordinated approach to county government.

Cummings has announced Ashley Arai as the Interim Director for CPED as they work through the hiring process for a permanent director. Cummings said, “Ashley brings a depth of planning experience and a community-oriented demeanor that will serve her well in the role of interim director. I look forward to her leadership of the department and will be available to support her during this transition.”

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