Writer: Julia Fechter
Published June 10, 2021
Oconee Enterprise
Last month, the Board of Commissioners appointed Oconee native Holly Hardigree Stephenson to succeed Kathy Hayes as county clerk.
For citizens who want to submit an Open Records Act request, Stephenson is the go-to person. She also pens the minutes for Board of Commissioners meetings.
Stephenson graduated from Athens Academy and then the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business upon earning a bachelor’s degree in risk management and insurance. She later earned a human resource manager certificate from UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
She previously served for eight years as the risk and liability specialist for the Walton County Board of Commissioners. She also graduated from the Walton Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Walton program.
Outside of government, Stephenson is a general partner at Hardigree Properties and a member of Oconee State Bank’s Board of Directors, where her father and grandfather previously served.
“I decided to apply for the position of Oconee County Clerk so that I could return to work in the county that I have always lived in,” Stephenson said via email. “I am proud to have always called it home.”
After working in an adjacent county for eight years, the chance to serve fellow Oconee citizens appealed to her. She is looking forward to working with “top-notch employees” within the county government.
“My primary goal is to support our commissioners who are making challenging decisions for the future of Oconee County,” she said. “The balance of growth while keeping a more rural community feel is not an easy task, but being able to maintain this balance is what makes our county so unique.”
Stephenson lives in Oconee with Tim, her husband of 25 years, their adult son Brad and twin adult daughters, Annie and Camille. She also enjoys serving with the Oconee County 4-H Club and Watkinsville First Baptist Church.
