In the 1950s and 1960s, the Boston Celtics basketball team had an incredible dynasty – staying at the top of the NBA with 11 championships in 13 years and eight straight titles.
In the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s, Guilford County Commissioner Kay Cashion has had something of a dynasty when it comes to serving on national and state county association commissions, committees and task forces – and her recent appointments keep that long string going.
Cashion – or “the Hon. Katie Cashion County Commissioner Guilford County” as the National Association of Counties (NACo) refers to her – is still being consistently chosen by NACo to represent Guilford County and other counties on a national basis.
Over the years, Cashion has also been highly active with the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC).
Cashion is also the go to favorite when her own board, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, is asked to select a delegate to attend state and national county conferences and events.
She’s gotten a lot of letters like the one she just got from current NACo President Mary Jo McGuire.
“Dear County Commissioner Cashion, As President of the National Association of Counties (NACo), it is my pleasure to appoint you to these committees:
Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee – Vice Chair
Arts and Culture Commission – Vice Chair
Large Urban County Caucus – Member
Resilient Counties Advisory Board – Member
Veterans and Military Services Committee – Member
The letter adds, “You were chosen because my goal is to build a talented and committed leadership team for NACo. Our strength at NACo is our members and your active involvement. As we move forward together, now is the time for county leaders to connect, inspire and lead.”
Among other things, McGuire is asking Cashion to help advance the “Forward Together” initiative, a NACo effort this year for “enriching the leadership, partnerships and practices of county officials, with the ultimate benefit of better outcomes through improved trust an engagement.”
Cashion will attend meetings across the country like the NACo Legislative Conference in February in Washington, DC and the NACo Annual Conference in July in Hillsborough County, Florida.
Cashion said this week that she was excited about continuing to serve in NACo leadership. She also said that she’s planning to attend the NCACC conference later this month and said she isn’t sure yet which other Guilford County commissioners may attend that event.
She was disappointed that a family emergency required her to miss the NACo annual conference in July but said that other members stepped up and helped deliver her reports to the commissions and committees.
Cashion is religious about her attendance at these NACo conferences each year, while other Guilford County commissioners are not, so it was somewhat ironic that, in July, every Guilford County commissioner except Cashion attended the annual national NACo conference in Austin, Texas.
