Warren County Deputy County Administrator Robert “Bob” Childress announces retirement

Deputy County Administrator Bob Childress, Royal Examiner file photo.

Warren County Deputy County Administrator announced today that he will retire effective August 31, 2020. Mr. Childress has been employed with the County since July 1, 2010, and has more than 32 years of public service in Virginia. Prior to joining Warren County, Mr. Childress was employed with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) for 22 years. With VDOT, he served in various roles including Assistant Resident Engineer and Assistant Resident Administrator for the Luray Residency which served Warren, Page, and Clarke Counties.

Mr. Childress is a graduate of Osbourn Park Senior High School in Manassas, Virginia, and Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, Virginia. He holds an Associate in Applied Science degree in Business Management/Supervision. Mr. Childress is a Transportation Construction Management Institute Graduate from Virginia Tech, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Transportation Management Institute Graduate located in Savannah, Georgia, and has held numerous other certifications through VDOT.

Upon his hiring as Deputy County Administrator in July 2010, Mr. Childress immediately assumed administrative oversight of the Shenandoah Farms Sanitary District. He was also responsible for numerous transportation and capital improvement projects, airport operations, and the creation and oversight of other sanitary districts as well as the County’s Public Works Department.

Doug Stanley, the County Administrator, stated, “I want to express my personal thanks to Bob Childress for the hard work and dedication that he has displayed during his 10 years with Warren County. Bob is a consummate professional and could be counted on to be the first person in the building each and every morning. In addition to oversight of the Airport and all County facilities up until 2017, Bob handled a number of construction projects including the Warren County Public Safety Building.

Through his efforts, the County has completed a number of road improvement projects to improve the quality of life for our citizens. In particular, he has completed over 20 rural addition projects in the County including in Shenandoah Farms, Taliaferro Manor, Lake Front Royal, Shangri-La, and a number of other subdivisions. Using Bob’s talent, the County saved hundreds of thousands of dollars by managing projects internally.”

Mr. Stanley added, “Dating back to his tenure with VDOT, Bob and I have worked very closely on various transportation projects and issues. He has certainly had a tremendous impact on the transportation system of this community. Thanks to his efforts, we have a number of projects in the pipeline that will be constructed in the next several years, such as safety improvements on Route 55 and the widening of a portion of Happy Creek Road. He has been a tremendous asset for the County.”

Ralph Rinaldi, Chairman of the Board for the Property Owners’ of Shenandoah Farms, added, “The one single factor in the improvement of Shenandoah Farms is Bob Childress. His leadership, knowledge, communication, and dedication to the Farms have, without question, made this community the biggest success story in Warren County. We will miss him.”

Mr. Childress said, “It’s been an honor to serve as Warren County’s Deputy Administrator for the past 10 years. My work has been both challenging and rewarding, and I will miss the dedicated staff that I have come to know as my work family. I’d like to personally thank Mr. Stanley for giving me the opportunity to serve as his deputy and for his leadership through the years. While this current chapter in my life will be closing, I am looking forward to my retirement and future opportunities.”