Hannes Zacharias has been County Manager since August, 2009. He joined the management team in 2001 as Assistant County Manager and was promoted to Deputy County Manager in 2005.
As County Manager, Mr. Zacharias serves as the chief administrative officer, coordinating the delivery of services provided by more than 3,800 employees to the County’s nearly 550,000 residents. He also prepares the County’s annual operating and capital budgets totaling more than $810 million.
As head of the county’s management team, Mr. Zacharias is accountable for organizational performance, achievement and service delivery in the daily operations of Johnson County. He also oversees the implementation of policies and directives established by the Johnson County Board of Commissioners.
The County Manager oversees the following departments:
- Appraiser's Office
- Budget & Financial Planning
- Human Resources
- Legal Department
-
Technology & Innovation
- Information Technology Services
- AIMS
- Oracle
- Records & Tax Administration
- Treasury & Financial Management
Mr. Zacharias has spent his entire career in public service, beginning in 1980 when he served as Associate Director and Chief Grants Officer for the Kansas Arts Commission. He has also served as Assistant to the City Manager for Lawrence, the City Administrator for Boonville, Missouri, and the City Manager of Hays, Kansas.
In his capacity as a local government manager, Mr. Zacharias has served on the:
- Missouri City/County Management Association Board of Directors;
- The Kansas City/County Management Association Board of Directors, where he served as President;
- The Kansas Municipal League Board of Directors; and,
- Various committees for the International City/County Management Association.
He received the Buford M. Watson Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Administration from the Kansas City/County Management Association and the Regional Leadership Award from the Mid- America Regional Council (MARC), both in 2007.
Locally, Mr. Zacharias serves on the United Community Services board of advisors, the Greater Kansas City United Way board of directors, and the Heart of America Council Boy Scouts of America Executive Board. He also serves as the Co-Chair for the Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Committee of MARC.
A native of Dodge City, Kansas, Mr. Zacharias received a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas in 1988 and a Bachelor’s Degree in General Studies from Wichita State University in 1979.
He and his wife, Marcia, have lived in Johnson County since 2001. They have two daughters, Lydia and Isabel, and a son, Kurt.
