County manager’s office adds Army officer, Koch Industries spokeswoman

Sedgwick County announced two hires Wednesday as part of County Manager Michael Scholes’ redesign of the organization.

Command Chief Warrant Officer Tom Golden of the Georgia Army National Guard will be Sedgwick County’s deputy county manager.

“He is a proven executive finishing up a 32-year military career as a rotary-winged and fix-winged pilot,” according to a news release.

He also has human resources experience in the private sector and experience with Georgia’s Rockdale County government in the Atlanta area, the news release said.

Golden, like Scholes, served in the Georgia Army National Guard at various times throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

They were both in the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team around 2005 when it was deployed to Iraq, according to a review of Scholes’ resume and Golden’s bio with the Georgia National Guard.

The 2017 recommended budget sets aside $103,937 for the deputy county manager position.

Scholes was hired about a year ago and began working at the county last November.

The county also announced Wednesday that it hired Keturah Austin to run its corporate communication office. She had been the corporate communications director for Koch Industries since 2014.

“Austin will be the central point of contact for internal communication and employee-community engagement,” the news release said. “She will be responsible for informing and educating the community on county services.”

Before being hired by Koch, Austin was director of communications for Andover schools for 11 years.

A consent agenda item approved at the July 27 commission meeting raised the minimum salary and benefits for Austin’s position. The vote set aside $106,540 in the 2017 budget for salary and benefits. That’s about $18,000 more than the position previously called for.

Jill Tinsley was the former head of the county’s corporate communications office. She recently became the director of marketing and communications at the Independent School.

This story was originally published August 3, 2016 at 3:26 PM with the headline "County manager’s office adds Army officer, Koch Industries spokeswoman."