Chilton County’s new administrator is Crista Madden.

Madden brings plenty of experience to the position after spending the past 25 years in Franklin County, where she started out as an accountant and held the role of administrator since 2009.

“All of my experience is in county government,” Madden said.

According to Madden, an accountant’s work is more behind the scenes and with the numbers, while an administrator must deal with the numbers as well as the daily interactions with various departments and commissioners. That is something that she thoroughly enjoys.

“I always pride myself in that I have a good working relationship with all of the department heads,” Madden said. “I hope to pick that right up here in Chilton County and continue building those relationships.”

A meet and greet was held on Sept. 5 and served as the first step in building those relationships with her fellow co-workers.

“I’m ready to get to work,” Madden said.

Madden has an accounting degree from the University of North Alabama and she has completed the certification program for county administrators.

“When I came here for the interview, I had never really been to Chilton County other than just passing through,” Madden said. “Everybody has been super nice and the people have made me feel at home already.”

The interview process was essential in Madden’s hiring, and it was obvious early on that she was a perfect fit for the job, according to Commission chairman Allen Caton.

“She knew all the answers,” Caton said.

The county had been without an administrator since the start of the year, which has caused the commission office to be stretched thin at times.

“She’s going to bring with her a knowledge base where she can help us move to the next level,” Commissioner Joseph Parnell said. “Within minutes we knew that she was the one we wanted.”

According to Caton, Madden demonstrates the same passion as and demands excellence just like the people of Chilton County.

“Chilton County is extremely lucky to have a lady like Crista,” Caton said. “She’s only been here three days, but it feels like three years.”

Helping in Madden’s transition is the fact that Chilton and Franklin counties deal with many of the same people at the state level, which brings a sense of familiarity to the situation.

The meet and greet was held in the commission room of the courthouse, where the commission holds its regularly scheduled meetings every second and fourth Monday of the month.

Excitement surrounding the hire could not only be felt at the meet and greet, but has also been resonating for the past several commission meetings leading up to Madden’s first official day on Sept. 1.

The immediate feeling by many is that her hire is a win for the county in more ways than one.

“It shows the growth of the county,” Caton said.