The Berks County Commissioners are happy to announce the appointment of a new Director and Assistant Director for the Berks County Office of Election Services. Anne Norton, Elections Operations/Systems Manager, will be promoted to serve as the new Director of Elections and Stephanie Weaver, the County’s Public Relations Officer, will be transferring to Election Services to be the new Assistant Director. The department has been without a director since July 2022. Norton, Weaver and Chief Registrar Silvia Gutierrez played key roles in leading the effort for the successful 2022 General Election and together will serve as the department’s senior leadership team.
The Commissioners will vote to approve the new positions at their Board Meeting on Thursday, Feb. 2, which will be held at 7 p.m. at the Rockland Township Building, 41 Deysher Road, Fleetwood.
“Anne Norton has proven herself and earned the opportunity to lead our election department,” Commissioners Chair Christian Leinbach said. “Her work ethic, attention to detail and commitment to the integrity of our elections are clear. Stephanie Weaver has been a key player in our elections department over the past two years, providing her with the experience and record necessary to lead in the Assistant Director role. With the addition of a new administrative assistant position, the Office of Election Services stands ready for the 2023 election cycle.”
Norton joined the Office of Election Services in 2020 after previously working with the Area Agency on Aging. Prior to joining the County of Berks, she worked as an accountant for several companies including Exide and worked as a substitute teacher. Norton led the expanded poll worker training classes and heightened testing of the Election machines that occurred this past summer and fall, while overseeing overall department functions with Gutierrez in the absence of a director.
“Running an election is always a team effort and I’m looking forward to building off of what our team accomplished last fall,” Norton said. “It’s certainly a challenging role, but I feel we have the right team in place to continue to be successful.”
Gutierrez has worked in the Office of Election Services for nearly 15 years and stepped into the position of Chief Registrar last summer. In that role, Gutierrez supervises the team of voter registrars, handles campaign finance duties, and is responsible for the County’s administration of the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors system.
Weaver became the County’s first Public Relations Officer in June 2020. She previously worked as the Communications Manager for the Berks County Bar Association and was a reporter for the Reading Eagle for 7 years. Weaver will utilize her public relations background to help bolster Election Services’ voter education efforts, media relations and online presence. She will also oversee the mail-in ballot process.
“We are excited to have Anne and Stephanie as part of our elections team in their new roles,” Commissioner Michael Rivera, Election Board Chair, said. “They were instrumental in ensuring a successful election in November 2022 in Berks, where we recognized their efforts and leadership. I am confident they will be able to continue to ensure election integrity in Berks County.”
The County is currently looking to hire replacements for Norton and Weaver’s prior positions. Interested applicants can learn more and apply through the County’s job portal: County of Berks Careers (oraclecloud.com)
