Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Last Thursday, Roanoke County Administrator Richard L. Caywood announced several senior leadership promotions and organizational changes following the retirement of longtime Deputy County Administrator Rebecca E. Owens.
Effective immediately, Madeline Hanlon has been named assistant county administrator; Laurie Gearheart will serve as chief financial officer; and Jessica Beemer has been promoted to director of finance and management services. The moves follow the earlier appointment of Assistant County Administrator Doug Blount as deputy county administrator to fill the vacancy created by Owens’ retirement after more than 33 years of service.
Hanlon currently serves as the county’s director of community engagement and assistant to the county administrator, overseeing public information, Clerk to the Board of Supervisors functions, constituent services and strategic planning. She began her career as an intern with Franklin County while completing a Business Administration degree at Roanoke College, later joining Roanoke County as deputy clerk to the Board of Supervisors and a paralegal in the County Attorney’s Office.
Hanlon went on to serve as clerk to the Board of Supervisors and public affairs manager for Franklin County before returning to Roanoke County in 2022. She holds an MBA from Bowling Green State University, a graduate certificate in local government management from Virginia Tech and is a Certified Municipal Clerk. She serves on the executive board of the Virginia Local Government Management Association and is a member of the International City/County Management Association. Her expanded role will not be backfilled.
Gearheart, a 20-year veteran of Roanoke County, was first hired in 1993 as the county’s inaugural financial analyst. She later spent 12 years as assistant director of finance before being named director of finance and management services in 2019. A Roanoke College graduate with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in accounting, Gearheart became a Certified Public Accountant in 1993.
Her career includes nine years in public accounting, service as director of business operations for First Baptist Church, and three years as controller at Hollins University before returning to county government in 2009. She is a member of the Government Finance Officers Association, the Virginia GFOA, the Virginia Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs.
Beemer, a Virginia Tech graduate and Certified Public Accountant, has served as the county’s assistant director of finance and management services since 2020. She previously worked as finance manager for Roanoke County Public Schools, where she was recognized nationally as a 2019 Emerging Leader by the International Association of School Business Officials.
Beemer works with regional entities including the Regional Center for Animal Care and Protection, the Western Virginia Regional Jail, the Roanoke Valley Greenways Commission and the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority.
Caywood said the promotions reflect both the talents of the individuals and the county’s ability to develop leaders from within.
“In addition to these promotions reflecting the outstanding professionalism, dedication and expertise that Madeline, Laurie and Jessica bring to Roanoke County, they also demonstrate the strong internal talent pipeline that Roanoke County is so blessed to have,” Caywood said in a statement. “Each of them has demonstrated a strong commitment to public service and to strengthening our organization’s ability to serve the community with excellence.”
He added that the restructuring is cost-neutral in the short term and positions the county for future savings in staffing and operations.
