Puckett Honored with Mashaw Outstanding Assistant Award

Mashaw Oustanding Assistant Award winner Sarah Elam Puckett with her daughter.

Sarah Elam Puckett, Assistant County Administrator and Deputy for Emergency Services for Prince Edward County, was honored with the Marcia Mashaw Outstanding Assistant Award during the 2022 VLGMA Annual Conference in Virginia Beach.

Puckett has served Prince Edward County for more than 34 years and has taken on a number of roles over that time, including a stint as acting county administrator.  According to County Administrator Doug Stanley, Puckett made his transition into the role of county administrator an easy one when he arrived in Prince Edward.

Stanley cited Puckett’s instrumental role for the County during the COVID-19 pandemic, including developing health and welfare equity packages for low income and elderly residents; coordinating efforts to get supplies for these packages; and working with community partners to distribute these packages throughout the County to ensure the needs of all community members were met.

Puckett also established a CARES Act funding committee for the County and ensured that funds provided to the County were appropriated and distributed according to federal guidelines.  She was also instrumental in the setting up of COVID-19 vaccination clinics and testing facilities within the community, working with the health department, local pharmacies, and the Army National Guard.  She continues to monitor testing facilities and vaccine clinics and is preparing to ramp up these services again should they be required.

As deputy of emergency services, Puckett was praised for her readiness to address any situation, including the severe weather and ice storms faced by the County during the last year.  She coordinated efforts with the county’s department of social services, VDOT, and other agencies and organizations to establish day and overnight shelters to give residents access to hot showers, charging stations for cell phones, hot meals, and non-perishable foods for residents during a storm that left many in the county without electricity for several days.

The Marcia Mashaw Award has been presented by VLGMA since 1989.  The award goes to an assistant or deputy administrator or manager who has demonstrated outstanding performance to their community.  The award was created in honor and memory of Marcia Mashaw, who served local governments in several capacities during her career and was assistant town manager in Blacksburg at the time of her death in December of 1986.  She was active in ICMA and VLGMA, and served on the VLGMA board. 

This year’s award committee was co-chaired by Ashland Deputy Town Manager Matt Reynal and Powhatan Assistant County Administrator Bret Schardein.  Cumberland County Administrator Derek Stamey also served on the committee.