The Adams County Board of Commissioners is pleased to announce the appointment of Heather McDermott as the new director of the Office of Emergency Management. McDermott replaced Captain Michael Kercheval, who recently retired after over 32 years of employment with Adams County.McDermott has been with the Adams County Office of Emergency Management for over five years. She started with the county as a specialist and was promoted to coordinator approximately three years ago. To improve coordination of planning, response and recovery efforts, Heather works closely with many county departments and elected officials, as well as municipalities and fire districts. During her time at the Adams County Office of Emergency Management, McDermott has been recognized locally and nationally for assisting in the development and teaching of Emergency Planning for adult care facilities and schools.
Heather is a graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Washington and has been a licensed attorney for over 12 years. In her role as an attorney, she has been proud to coordinate the statewide Annual Legal Issues in Emergency Management Seminar. Heather is currently working to obtain her Master’s in Public Administration with an emphasis in Disaster Management.
The mission of the Office of Emergency Management is to create an emergency management program built around resilient capabilities, strong partnerships and a collaborative approach to the preparing for, responding to and recovering from disasters affecting the agencies, jurisdictions and citizens within Adams County.
