Percy C. Ashcraft

Next to public safety and responsible financial accounting, one could argue that information technology is the life blood of every government organization.  After all, when internet doesn’t work, or your financial system can’t pay the bills or produce payroll, nothing short of chaos starts to settle in. 

Citizens rely everyday on 9-1-1 services in times of critical need.  Police officers have computers in their vehicles to easily identification tags.  Every parcel of real estate is included in a data base, and the collection of taxes and utility fees and the processing of building permits are a click away.

Since May 1, 2006, Kirsten Cherry has been at the center of the IT revolution that has hit Prince George County Government for over a decade.  Since September 1, 2012, she has been the Director of Information Technology and she has led an advancement that has positioned Prince George County to compete in this complicated IT world.

Kirsten announced on September 11 she was stepping away from her position with Prince George County and she and her husband were moving to Maine.  The property they have acquired is on the Canadian border and she will be assisting a non-profit organization with its technology needs.

Needless to say Kirsten’s announcement to employees and others outside of County Government was met with surprise, followed by dose of panic blended in.  This talented woman had had her hands in every aspect of technology for over 13 years.  Positions do not define the person, but the person can certainly define the position.  “Call Kirsten” was the battle cry for every employee when something IT related cropped up.  It was a relationship we all took for granted, because the technology expertise was there for us.

Some major milestones in Kirsten’s years with Prince George County include:

–Ushering in a new financial software system by Tyler Munis that was complicated to say the least, but has been key to improving the financial accounting for the entire government.

–Revolutionizing technology for public safety, allowing officers to better communicate with each other and the state and regional partners they rely on.

–Connecting all County buildings that allowed technology to “talk to each other” and improve efficiency, including volunteer Fire & EMS companies.

–Establishing on-line bill paying for taxes and utilities, which has stopped long lines twice of year when tax season rolls around.

–Has helped in the collection of building permits and inspections through one software package, and another is ready to be launched in the near future.

–Has worked with the Real Estate Assessor’s Office to identify all properties within Prince George County and an updated software package is also ready to be launched.

–Has established one of the best Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for a government the size of Prince George County.  It has aided in key areas such as economic development, public utilities and of course real estate assessment.

–Bringing together all the technology pieces found in the Prince George County Courthouse, upgrading the offices of the judiciary as well as the Commonwealth Attorney, Circuit Clerk and Sheriff.

–Has set the groundwork for an evolutionary partnership with Fort Lee that will allow the 9-1-1 systems to work closely together.

–Has guarded the County against potential attacks on its hardware and software system by constantly improving passwords and other cyber security efforts.

–Brought I-Pads and smart phones to the workplace for greater efficiency and creating a communication atmosphere that allowed employees to have an office wherever they were.

–Established a Computer Lab for citizens that was important until broadband started reaching more homes in Prince George County.

–Saved the County thousands of dollars over the years in leading training sessions that most localities have to farm out to consultants.

This blog could go on and on with Kirsten Cherry accomplishments, but I think you get the picture.  She was vital to the success of government operations and she will be deeply missed.

You don’t replace an employee like Kirsten, you just learn from their success and do your best to move forward.  We wish her well and send her off with a huge debt of gratitude for making all of our jobs a little easier along the way.