Public servant bids farewell after 49 years serving Hamilton County
County Administrator Dan Stevens will retire on March 31, 2023. He served as Hamilton County Sheriff for eight years and as Director of Administration for the Hamilton County Commissioners for the past 14 years.
Stevens
“Fate has been kind to me,” Stevens said. “I have been lucky to be at the right place at the right time during my career. You couldn’t find a better place to work in the country than Hamilton County, and I’ve been blessed to make a career of it.”
A Westfield native, Stevens first started working for the county in January 1974 as a jailor and dispatcher in the Old Jail on the Courthouse Square. Just two years later, he was promoted to a sheriff’s deputy where he also served as a Chief Deputy for eight years. Elected Sheriff in November 1986, Stevens served two terms before accepting a job as the Jail Commander for 13 years. Commissioner Steve Dillinger tapped Stevens to fill the role of Director of Administration in 2009 following Stevens’ retirement from the Sheriff’s Office.
“There was no one better for the job than Dan,” Dillinger said. “His working knowledge of the county and its leaders was a great asset to the Commissioners. His value to this administration has been nothing less than irreplaceable. He will be sorely missed.”
Stevens has been instrumental in helping county commissioners, elected officials, department heads, and employees provide governmental services and support functions while also administering large-scale capital projects like the expansion of the Hamilton County Jail, construction of the new Hamilton County Employee Parking Garage, and the site master planning of the corrections complex.
“I certainly didn’t plan to make a career out of public service when I started as a dispatcher,” Stevens quipped. “I just needed a job. But having a front seat to the growth of Hamilton County and helping wherever I could to improve residents’ quality of life and protecting everything we value has been a bonus.”
Stevens and his wife plan to finish traveling to all 50 states in retirement. The couple also has five grandkids ranging in age from 13 years to seven months they’d like to spend more time with.
“There are only so many grains of sand in an hourglass,” Stevens said. “And we still have a laundry list of things we’d like to do. While I’ll certainly miss all the good people I’ve worked with, the time has come to bid farewell.”
The Indiana Association of County Commissioners (IACC) selected Stevens as its “Outstanding Supportive County Administrator of the Year” in 2020. Stevens is a member of the Fishers Masonic Lodge, the Scottish Rite, Murat Shrine, Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy Association, and the Noblesville Sunrisers Kiwanis. Stevens is also a lifetime member of the Indiana Sheriff’s Association.
The Hamilton County Commissioners have launched a nationwide search for Stevens’ successor and hope to have someone hired by the first of the year.