Cambria County commissioners hire former Blair County clerk

Former Blair clerk Hemminger to begin new role on Monday

JOHNSTOWN -- A familiar face in Blair County was selected to serve as the chief clerk and county manager for the Cambria County commissioner's office Thursday.

Nicole Hemminger will begin her new role in Cambria County on Monday with an annual salary of $85,000 after the commissioners approved her employment Thursday during their meeting at the Richland Township Municipal Building.

Hemminger fills a void left by former chief clerk Alex Ashcom, who resigned Aug. 1 after accepting another position in Swarthmore Borough, Delaware County.

With Ashcom's departure, Cambria County is "very blessed" to have Hemminger join the commissioner's team, said Commissioner Keith Rager.

"She brings a wealth of education and experience in local government with her, and I believe that experience will be a tremendous asset to Cambria County," Rager said. "We look forward to having her join us and helping continue improving the county."

As Cambria's principal administrative officer, Hemminger will coordinate the commissioners' administrative functions, oversee the county's day-to-day financial operational activities, support the county's annual budget process and implement the policies and priorities established by the board.

President Commissioner Scott Hunt said he's excited to have Hemminger join the county's team, noting she brings more than seven years of county government leadership experience, including four and a half years as Blair County's chief clerk and county administrator.

Hemminger started in Blair County as the assistant chief clerk in January 2017 and was promoted to the chief clerk/county administrator position in January 2020 after Helen Schmitt retired. As the county's most experienced employee at the time, she was terminated in July 2024, after the Blair commissioners became more proactive in managing the county's operations, according to Mirror reports.

During her tenure, she served as the primary liaison among the commissioners, elected officials, department leaders, employees, community partners and the public. Her responsibilities included supervision of department leaders, contract and grant administration, policy development and implementation, public records management and coordination of countywide initiatives.

Most recently, Hemminger served as the development director and senior consultant for Kafferlin Strategies and CiviLink. She also served in interim municipal management roles.

"Nicole brings real county experience in the commissioner's office," Hunt said, adding Hemminger understands the turbulence of county government. "It's very exciting to have someone with her reputation and experience helping and being part of the team in Cambria County."

Hemminger, who was present at the meeting, said she's excited to be back in county government.

"I really enjoyed my time in Blair County and was excited for the opportunity to come to Cambria and make a difference here," she said.

Kafferlin Strategies is the management consulting firm the commissioners hired at its Sept. 11 meeting to create a five-year financial and operational plan. While they approved the vendor agreement at their last meeting, the commissioners formally approved the strategic management planning program grant contract it received from the state Department of Community and Economic Development during Thursday's meeting.

Hunt noted the agreement is merely to accept the $148,500 grant the county received from the state to hire Kafferlin Strategies.

Hemminger said she knows Cambria County is facing a lot of budget deficits and "a lot of different things that are going to impact the next five years."

Since the county is now working with Kafferlin Strategies, Hemminger said she'll be able to see her old team members and help navigate the county through its strategic management plan process.

"I'm really excited that Cambria is going to get a chance to have that in-depth look at both their finances and their organization and then be able to implement any recommendations in the next four or five years here that we have," Hemminger said. "I am honored to have the opportunity to serve Cambria County at such an important time."

The challenges facing the county will require collaboration, honest communication and a shared commitment from the commissioners, elected officials, department leaders and employees, Hemminger said.

In a statement, Cambria County Commissioner Tom Chernisky said he looks forward to working with Hemminger to help fix the county's "budgeting mess."

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.