The Geary County Commission has approved the employment of two new department heads.

Jonathon Thummel will become the Director of Human Resources and Special Projects.  Commioner Ben Bennett said Thummel comes to Geary County with a lot of experience. “We’re fortunate to find somebody with his experience and his work ethic. We’re really glad to have him to take over Lisa’s ( Eickholt ) department. ” Eickholt is retiring from the H-R post October 23 to enter private industry.

Thummel is a former Human Resource Director in Shawnee County. “I’ve known Lisa for many, many years through our association in county human resources. Saw the advertisement on the HRE Partners and decided it would be a great fit for me to come work here. ”

Thummel holds a Master in Public Administration degree from Kansas State University.  His salary in the Geary County post will be $78,000. He began work in the new job on Monday.

The County Commission has also created a new position for a GIS Director. The employee who has been working in that capacity in the County Appraiser’s Department, Troy Livingston, will now work as his own department. His office will continue to be in the County Appraiser office area. County officials confirmed his salary will remain the same, at approximately $51,000.

Bennett noted the County is just starting to learn what GIS can do for a county or any large firm. “They develop all the legal representation of properties, and structures. They can develop layered maps by doing this. They can go in and show where all the pipelines, all the underground lines are, all the things that they have to deal with and work with of properties that affect each other or they come up to.” Bennett added there are a number of other things they can do for the different departments.