When Geary County decided to create a Human Resources Department they hired Lisa Eickholt as the first HR Director, that was 18 years ago.

On Friday Eickholt bid farewell during her retirement party at the Geary County Office Building.

“It’s been a long time coming I guess, and yet it came here so fast,” said Eickholt. “These people that I work with are definitely like family, and so it makes it kind of hard to think that I won’t be in here Monday and see the family.”

Eickholt won’t be leaving the HR profession as she will be working independently with a human resources consulting firm, McGrath Human Resources Group, Wonder Lake, Illinois as a human resource consultant. She will remain based in Geary County and working from a home office.

Eickholt’s successor, Jonathon Thummel is a former Human Resource Director in Shawnee County and has been on the job for almost a month.