After spending nearly half of her life as an employee of Howard County, Jamie Shepherd-Bryant is ready for a new challenge.
Shepherd-Bryant stepped down from her position as the county’s assessor to accept the treasurer position at Northwestern School Corp., beginning April 28.
Shepherd-Bryant, who was up for re-election in the fall, will be replaced by Mindy Heady in an interim role in the coming months. With the support of the Republican caucus, Heady will run on the ticket this fall after serving as Shepherd-Bryant’s first deputy with the county.
“Sometimes we’re faced with opportunities that we don’t expect coming our way,” Shepherd-Bryant said. “This is one of those. I try not to make any decisions without seeking out God’s plan for me. This wasn’t necessarily planned, but this is a good time because my office is in a good place right now.”
Shepherd-Bryant was finishing out her second term as Howard County assessor. She began working for the county part time at the age of 18 and has been there ever since, taking a part-time job as an assistant to Martha Lake in the auditor’s office.
The memories she has accumulated won’t soon be forgotten, she said.
“I have an enormous amount of respect for my colleagues, office and employees,” she said. “We have encountered great success and have helped implement positive changes during some of the most difficult times.”
Shepherd-Bryant has worn a number of hats with the county in her 15 years of experience, serving as both the deputy auditor and chief deputy treasurer before successfully running for auditor.
During her time as assessor, she served on the assessor’s legislative committee. Shepherd-Bryant began the concept of cyclical reassessment in Howard County long before the state Legislature enacted such provisions, saving taxpayers more than $100,000 every four years.
