A familiar name again resumes a familiar role, as Chris Hutchings has been officially announced as Interim Washington County Administrator.
At their regularly scheduled meeting held earlier this month, the Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to approve Hutchings with the position.
He has acted as the County Administrator since the resignation of Derrick Durden in November of last year.
Durden, a 27-year Georgia State Patrolman and 22-year Georgia National Guardsman, served roughly one year in the county’s government, leaving to accept another employment opportunity.
In an interview with The Georgian newspaper, Durden stated, “I’ve been working as Administrator for a year, and I’m honored to have had the opportunity to serve. It has been a good experience and I am happy to have served the citizens of Washington County.”
Prior to Durden, Dustin Peebles worked as County Administrator for over seven-and-a-half years.
The Emanuel County native left Washington County to pursue a law degree at Penn State University.
With Hutchings acting as the Interim County Administrator, Washington County is seeking their third full-time Administrator in just over the past year.
During the November meeting in which they accepted Durden’s resignation, County Commissioners opted to quickly begin their search for his replacement – placing an advertisement for the position in the county’s legal organ for 30 days.
The following month, Commissioners announced at their next Board meeting that four candidates had interviewed for the position.
Tennille Mayor Eartha Cummings and Wadley City Administrator Dwayne Flowers were named as the two finalists.
In January, the Board of Commissioners executed the vote to name Hutchings as Interim Administrator.
Chris Hutchings has a lengthy history with his newly assumed position.
He first served as the full-time Washington County Administrator for nearly six years from 2010 to
Hutchings has served as an Interim Administrator for Washington, Jefferson, Effingham, Twiggs, and Charlton counties.
Self-employed as a business and government consultant for 9 years, he retired from Imerys as a Senior Operations Analyst and Lands/Mines Manager in 2009.
In addition to his time serving Washington County as Administrator, Hutchings was Chairperson of the Board of Education from 2019 to 2022.
He is a 12-year member of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, 10-year Vice-Chairman of the Washington County Archway Executive Board, 4-year Treasurer for the Fall Line Artist Guild, a 3-year President of the Miriam Ministry.
Chris Hutchings graduated from the Washington County High School in 1974. He went on to earn an Accounting degree from Georgia College and State University and a Master of Business Administration in Economics and Finance from Mercer University. Chris and his wife of 47 years, Carla, live in Sandersville.
The County Administrator manages the day-to-day operations of the Washington County administrative staff. They work closely with the Board of Commissioners to ensure effective communication is maintained between the Board and county’s employees.