Habjan honored as Public Administrator of the Year

Steve Moyer/Daily Mail-- Vernon County Public Administrator Virginia Habjan was recently named Missouri Public Administrator of the Year. She plans to retire at the end of her term.

Virginia Habjan is getting ready to retire after 20 years as Vernon County's public administrator for 20 years. Her work has not been unnoticed by her peers, she was recently honored as Missouri Public Administrator of the Year. Not only her peers but those who work with her have nothing but praise for Habjan.

"I work with Public Administrators all over the state because of the clients I work with," local dentist Dr. Jerry Sanders said. "Virginia is the best one in all of Missouri."

Habjan said the award came as a surprise, but it was a pleasant one.

Habjan said, "I didn't even know I was in the running. It's especially nice because it's your peers that nominate you. It's a blind nomination process, there's an awards committee that takes nominations and selects from them."

Habjan said she thought her work with the Missouri Department of Mental Health was the reason for the award. She is very active on several committees and organizations helping the developmentally disabled.

"I do know that one of the reasons I was selected was my work with the Department of Mental Health," Habjan said. "The people they help really need it. It always takes a lot of money to run a social services agency and it doesn't bring in much."

Habjan said she enjoyed the work and was passionate about providing good service to her clients.

"I take it very seriously," Habjan said. "You have a lot of responsibility when you're in that position and you want to do it right."

In all but three of Missouri's counties public administrators are elected, as they are in Vernon County. They serve primarily on three types of cases: 1) Guardian and/or conservator for mentally disabled people, 2) personal representative of deceased's estates and 3) as conservator of minor's estates.

The majority of appointments in any public administrator's office will be as guardian/conservator for mentally disabled people.

Habjan is on call 24 hours a day seven days a week and is looking forward to retiring and being able to take some time off.

"As a public administrator you're on call 24/7," Habjan said. "I'm ready to take some time off and relax."