Roxann Blair

Business Graduate Advances Her Career In County Government

Roxann Blair, Business and Marketing Academy, Class of: 1973
Like many students, Roxann Blair was thinking about her future long before she graduated from high school. The lifelong Wellington resident wanted a good job, but she wasn’t sure if college was in her plans.

“I wanted a career, but I wanted to get started in high school. The Lorain County JVS gave me that opportunity,” said Blair, a 1973 JVS graduate.

“The individual attention I received in my business management program prepared me well for a part-time position with the Lorain County Commissioners during my senior year,” stated Blair.

“I sorted mail, typed requisitions and purchase orders and learned accounting and payroll,” continued Blair, who praised her JVS teachers. “I must have done a good job, because they hired me full-time the day after I graduated.”

Blair credits her teachers for preparing her with the skills she needed to be successful in a busy office environment.

“The instructors were helpful, encouraging and gave me the confidence to succeed,” Blair said. “I looked forward to classes because I could share my work experiences with the teachers, who were always there to listen, discuss problems and help me think through the solutions.”

By 1975, Blair was working for the County Administrator, scheduling appointments and handling correspondence with the commissioners. She also assisted the Clerk of the Board of Commissioners, logging in minutes of meetings, and was promoted to Clerk in 1989.

Blair retired in 2003 but returned to work as County Engineer Ken Carney’s administrative assistant in 2005.

“You can take the clerk out of the county, but I guess you can’t take the county out of the clerk,” said Blair, laughing. “The JVS slogan, ‘Where Careers Begin,’ really rang true for me. The skills I learned prepared me for a lifetime.”