Since 2004, Camden County has experienced rapid population growth. The Board of County Commissioners acknowledged that rapid growth also created new demands on government services. They knew it would be essential to bring in a credentialed, transformational leader from outside the organization to objectively blaze this trail.

After a diligent search, County Administrator Steve L. Howard was hired and he immediately rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

Prior to his arrival, Camden County did not have a mission or vision statement, had not formalized or declared its core values, nor did it have a strategic plan. Devoid of mission and vision statements, well defined core values, and a strategic plan, the county reacted to issues as they occurred. This mode of operation allowed the county to take care of short-term needs, but not lead the community or plan long term.

Howard understood that he would need would need a clear roadmap to help the county. Such a document would build consensus and vision so that all parts of the organization would understand how they fit, what their role would be, and what they would be expected to achieve.

He created a steering committee made up of employees from many of the county’s departments and set them on a path to define Camden’s mission, vision, and values. The county’s first ever mission and vision statements, as well as its core values, were formally adopted by the Board of County Commissioners on December 4, 2007, just three months after Howard’s arrival, and the strategic plan was formulated and adopted just a few months later on March 18, 2008.

Howard’s leadership put the county on a path to be able to anticipate and plan for issues before they became an epidemic. The transition from being an organization that is always in crisis mode to one that is equipped with multiple, well planned options has allowed the county to have more control over its outcomes by marginalizing potential threats and maximizing opportunities.