After 24 years of public service with the County, Kenton County Administrator Joe Shriver is retiring, effective July 31.
“I could never fully articulate the amount of great work Joe accomplished during his tenure, especially over these past eight years,” stated Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann. “Joe has an unbelievably balanced approach to dealing with budgets, the team, and the public to accomplish goals and move Kenton County forward.”
Throughout his career, Shriver led numerous major projects. Among those was relocating the Kenton County Detention Center from the overcrowded facility at 303 Court Street in Covington to its current home in 2010.
Shriver helped consolidate animal control for nineteen cities into one countywide service in 2011 and three emergency communication dispatch centers into one countywide operation. He also helped develop and implement a funding mechanism for emergency dispatch that provides sustainable and full funding of the operation to this day.
From 2016 to 2019, Shriver worked with Boone and Campbell staff to develop a new digital public safety radio system giving unprecedented connectivity to first responders across the region.
He was a key leader in bringing multiple public agencies together under one roof with the construction of the new Kenton County Government Center in 2019. Most recently, he helped coordinate the broadband expansion project with Cincinnati Bell bringing fiber to the premise to every parcel in Kenton County by August 2023.
“It’s gratifying that I was trusted and allowed to work on so many meaningful projects and improvements to our County government and the community as a whole,” said Shriver. “No one person makes big things happen, but I tried to return that trust with the best possible outcome imaginable each and every time.”
In total, Shriver served four Judges/Executive, including Dick Murgatroyd, Ralph Drees, Steve Arlinghaus, and Kris Knochelmann. He also served eight County Commissioners, including Barb Black, Adam Koenig, Dan Humpert, Sara Reeder Voelker, Beth Sewell, Kris Knochelmann, Jon Draud, and Joe Nienaber.
Shriver graduated from Thomas More University in 1994 with a Bachelor’s Degree in history. In 1996 he received his Masters in Public Administration from Northern Kentucky University and, in 2003, he graduated from Northern Kentucky University’s Chase College of Law.
During his career, Shriver received the 1998 Friends of People Working Cooperatively Volunteer Award, the City/County Administrator of the Year Award from the Northern Kentucky City/County Management Association in 2012 and 2017, and the Thomas More University Professional Achievement Award in 2022.
Shriver was born and raised in Paris, Kentucky. He married his wife, Rhonda, in 1996 and together they have four children: Josie, Jake, Jenna, and JuJu.
To succeed Shriver as County Administrator, Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann announced he intends to appoint Scott Gunning, current Assistant County Administrator, effective August 1, 2022.
“Scott Gunning is uniquely qualified through his experience and skill sets to take the lead as chief administrative officer for Kenton County,” noted Judge/Executive Knochelmann. “He’s been preparing to take on this challenge for twenty-two years, and is well positioned to build on our strong foundation.”
Gunning began serving Kenton County in 2002 and has held numerous positions including: Intern in the Judge/Executive’s Office (2002-2003); County Ombudsman – We Care Coordinator (2003-2010); Community Service Specialist (2004-2005); Director for Parks & Recreation (2005-2014); and Assistant County Administrator (2014 – Present).
As Assistant County Administrator, Gunning oversees multiple departments, including Parks & Recreation, the Golf Courses of Kenton County, Buildings and Grounds, Animal Services, and Human Services. Among his duties, he serves as the personnel officer and is responsible for managing the County’s self-insurance fund, including medical, liability and casualty coverage. He also directs and plans annual capital projects throughout Kenton County.
“I’m excited to take on this challenge,” added Scott Gunning. “Kenton County government is better positioned from a personnel and infrastructure perspective than it’s ever been, but I know there is much more that we can accomplish in the years to come for our residents.”
Kenton County Fiscal Court