Stanislaus County CEO Stan Risen announces retirement

Stan Risen, chief executive officer for Stanislaus County, announced Friday that he will retire effective in August.

County leaders said they will begin a search for a new CEO. Risen will continue working for six months on budgeting, labor negotiations and other priorities. That will give county leaders time to search for a new CEO.

Risen, 60, became the county’s top executive in 2013 after then-CEO Monica Nino accepted the top administrator’s job in San Joaquin County. He is closing out a 30-year career with Stanislaus County government.

“I am extremely grateful to all of the wonderful board members, department leaders, employees and community members that I have been blessed to know and work alongside,” Risen stated in a letter informing the Board of Supervisors of his retirement.

Risen served as interim CEO after Nino’s departure and in November 2013 agreed to a three-year contract that made him the permanent CEO. County supervisors have known for months that Risen was considering retirement. His current salary is $270,712 a year.

“Stan is the epitome of an effective leader,” board Chairman Vito Chiesa said. “He has been a leader of great influence with tremendous integrity who keeps the community first in his deliberations. It would be hard to find a better example of a leader and public servant.”

County leaders will consider how to proceed with finding a new CEO. One supervisor said internal candidates and applicants from other counties will be considered.

Risen was best known for spearheading the Focus on Prevention initiative, a 10-year effort that’s taken a stab at addressing homelessness. People from 10 sectors of the community are involved with the initiative and are planning a second phase on families of criminal offenders. Additional phases will focus on supporting youths and reducing crime recidivism.

Risen calls it a movement that grew from discussions with Supervisor Terry Withrow about working on the root causes of social problems, rather than endless public spending on treating the symptoms.

Withrow has helped lead the initiative and promised it will continue after Risen’s departure. He plans to ask Risen to serve on the initiative’s Stewardship Council after he retires.

“It will not go away,” Withrow said. “We have a commitment from the board to continue Focus on Prevention for years.”

Risen has not had a crucial role in the county’s ongoing fight against a state plan for unimpaired river flows to restore salmon. That effort was delegated to other staffers in the CEO’s office. Local officials contend the State Water Resources Control Board plan could wreck the local economy.

Risen said he hopes to work out agreements with six labor groups with contracts expiring in July. He will also devote attention in the next six months to an action council plan for helping the homeless get off the streets.

Risen, a former youth pastor in Ceres, says he held a common perception that government agencies were inefficient and ineffective when he took a job in the county Assessor’s Office in 1987. He said his perception changed when he met dedicated and committed employees in the efficiently run office.

Risen noted that many of the county’s department heads are leaders for their state associations.

Risen was promoted through the ranks and began working for the chief executive’s office as a senior management consultant in 1999. He was an assistant executive officer for eight years before his promotion to CEO.

Risen was instrumental in forging a 10-year pact with cities for solid-waste services. Under his management, the county has paid down general fund debt, made its budget presentations more clear to the public and developed a long-range financial model.

“Stan’s demeanor and the way he carries himself and treats people is a great asset in negotiations with other cities in the county,” Withrow said. The CEO was able to “break down silos,” or convince agencies to look outside their boundaries to consider the big picture, the supervisor said.

During his career, Risen has been involved in the community as a Ceres City Council member and planning commissioner, a youth soccer coach and a mission trip leader at Crosspoint Community Church in Modesto.

“He is a great collaborator and good at giving everyone a voice in the conversation,” said Brad Hawn, a former Modesto councilman.

This story was originally published February 10, 2017 at 10:35 AM with the headline "Stanislaus County CEO Stan Risen announces retirement."