Sacramento County appoints Ann Edwards as county executive — first woman in the post

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to appoint Ann Edwards as the permanent county executive Tuesday. Edwards, who previously served as the director of the human assistance department is the first woman to hold the top administrative role and succeeds Navdeep Gill who retired in February.

Her appointment was announced after the supervisors voted in a closed session. Their decision is effective Sept. 14.

Edwards had served as the interim and then acting CEO since last December when Gill was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into age, race and gender discrimination, harassment and retaliation complaints.

She was praised for her performance in the months after Gill’s departure.

“Ann has proven to be an outstanding Interim County Executive and has provided stability to the organization, improved communication and built trust within and outside of the organization,” said supervisor Sue Frost, the chairwoman for the board.

In her brief remarks after the announcement, Edwards vowed to focus on many of the things that became public controversies under Gill.

“I’m honored to accept this appointment and am committed to looking at the county organization in new and different ways; to pursuing a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and public transparency and engagement and enriching the county’s organizational culture,” Edwards said.

A longtime county employee, Edwards oversaw the human assistance department since 2014, which is one of the county’s largest. She briefly worked in Solano County as the director of social services and served in a variety of other leadership roles since 1998.

She is the 13th person to serve in the post since 1933, and the 12th person to hold the job permanently.

This story was originally published August 25, 2021 at 9:46 AM.