Excellence in County Government Awards Recognize Officials in Cass, McKenzie, and Ramsey County, along with League of Cities Partnership
The North Dakota Association of Counties (NDACo) awarded four county officials and a partner organization Monday, October 27, during their 2025 Annual Conference in Bismarck. The annual Excellence in County Government Awards honor those who have shown exceptional dedication, leadership and involvement for the good of all counties.
In the County Commissioner category, McKenzie County Commissioner Kathy Skarda was recognized for her leadership. Commissioner Skarda was nominated by her fellow commissioners on behalf of McKenzie County. Known for her attention to detail and researching all aspects of every issue, her advocacy for the county’s support in creating a Family Crisis Shelter in Watford City will stand as a tribute to her compassion and caring for everyone in the community.
In the County Official category, McKenzie County Solid Waste Director/911 Coordinator Rick Schreiber was recognized for his work through the Bakken boom days, coordinating with state, federal and other local government leaders to ensure the county’s waste handling facilities met the community’s needs as well as state and federal regulations despite the rapidly growing demands. This includes navigating clean-up following two tornados. Mr. Schreiber was nominated by the McKenzie County Commissioners on behalf of McKenzie County.
In the County Employee category, Cass County Director of Technology Bob Henderson, along with the Technology Department, were recognized for their relentless pursuit of improving the security and performance of Cass County’s computer network. The office regularly tests and evaluates their protective measures, going as far as cutting power to the main data center, then bringing it all back online, without incident. Amid this intense work, Bob organizes morale building activities in and outside of the office environment. Mr. Henderson and his team were nominated by Cass County Administrator Robert Wilson on behalf of Cass County.
The Hall of Honor award recognizes former county officials who have left their mark on county government over the years. Retired Ramsey County Highway Superintendent Kevin Fieldsend enters the Hall of Honor following a 28-year career at Ramsey County. Mr. Fieldsend demonstrated outstanding long-term planning that led to successful maintenance of the roads and bridges. While working steadfastly for his county, he also took leadership in the ND Association of County Engineers (NDACE), serving on its board for more than a decade, including serving as its president. He represented county engineers on the NDACo Board of Directors, ascending to its presidency in 2020. Mr. Fieldsend was nominated by NDACE.
The Dedicated Partner Award recognizes individuals or organizations outside of county government who have contributed to the good of counties. Matt Gardner, Executive Director of the ND League of Cities, was recognized for his strong commitment to fostering collaboration among local governments in advocacy, training and networking to the benefit of them all. Mr. Gardner and his team took critical leadership roles in organizing the inaugural event known as “Capitol Connection,” which brought together city, county, school and township officials during the 2025 Legislature. The success of that event led to a similar event for training local officials to navigate budgeting in the new “caps” environment.