Eagle County Clerk & Recorder Regina O’Brien stepping down to take new role with the county
Regina O'Brien taking a new role, Assistant to the County Manager
Daily archive photo
Regina O’Brien will start a new job in January. That means Eagle County will have a new clerk and recorder.
O’Brien will step down from the elected seat as of Jan. 4 to accept a new position as assistant to the county manager. Chief Deputy Clerk and Recorder Stacy Jones will take on O’Brien’s duties until the Eagle County Board of Commissioners appoints a replacement. That person will serve until voters elect someone to the position in 2026.
O’Brien has served in the clerk’s office for the past 11 years. She was appointed to the top job in 2016 and reelected in 2018 and 2022.
O’Brien said her job as clerk has been “fantastic. It’s been meaningful, challenging 鈥� I’ve never been bored a single day.”
Still, she said she didn’t think that job was where her career would end.
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Throughout her career with Eagle County, O’Brien found herself interested in the operations of other departments and divisions. During director meetings, she said she enjoyed learning about the successes and challenges facing those departments, from the airport to information technology.
Still, she added, anything besides her elected position had to be the right thing, and she didn’t want to leave Eagle County.
When the assistant to the county manager’s job came up, she saw her chance.
“I read the job description and thought, ‘These are my strengths,'” she said. “The job was still with Eagle County, so I threw my name into the ring.”
County Manager Jeff Shroll has known O’Brien for several years, and said hiring her was a “no-brainer.”
Shroll noted that “you will have a difficult time finding a nicer human being in Eagle County.” And, he added, O’Brien has also proven she can assemble “an amazing team with top-notch people.”
That goes beyond the election team, Shroll added, pointing to the motor vehicle team, a job he called “really complicated.”
That’s going to be important in this new role, which will mostly involve a lot of work building relationships outside the county, particularly with the county’s municipal partners.
“People should feel pretty confident they’re in good hands,” Shroll said, adding that O’Brien is a “great listener and problem-solver.”
While O’Brien is looking forward to getting started, she said the timing of the job opening was critical in her decision to seek the position. If the job had been offered a year ago, she wouldn’t have considered it, she said.
Eagle County is nearly a year away from the next coordinated election, and four years away from the next presidential election. This way, the next person in the clerk and recorder’s job will have plenty of time to understand the job, she said.
And, since she’ll still be in the building, she’ll be available to answer whatever questions might come up.
“It was the right time for me to grow and stretch,” she said.
