County Manager: Penny Postoak Ferguson
Roles with Johnson County Government
Penny Postoak Ferguson was appointed County Manager effective July 15, 2018. She served as interim county manager for Johnson County from Jan. 1 through July 15, 2018. Previously, she served as deputy county manager from August 2012 through the end of 2017. Between June 2010 and August 2012, she was assistant county manager.
Postoak Ferguson oversaw the human services departments from 2010 to 2012. From 2011 through 2017 she oversaw the infrastructure and development departments. From 2013 to 2017 she served as the County Manager's Office liaison to both the Johnson County Park and Recreation District board and the Airport Commission.
Accomplishments with Johnson County Government
- Oversaw the 2023 comprehensive compensation and salary study for the organization as well as its implementation to address retention and recruitment challenges.
- Led the organization through the pandemic, including quick and substantial budget cuts in 2020. It is important to note that she reports to the Johnson County Board of Public Health, who has the responsibility of making tough policy decisions impacting the entire county such as stay-at-home orders and masking. For this work, in 2021 she received the Kansas Association of City/County Management’s first-ever Leadership Award.
- Saved Johnson County taxpayers a collective $1 million annually by leading the following restructuring efforts: Merging Emergency Management and Emergency Communications, merging the Departments of Health and Environment, merging the Johnson County Museum into the Johnson County Park and Recreation District and the management agreement with KCATA for transit.
- Worked with key stakeholders to oversee the Fire Services study for Rural Districts.
- Led the efforts to partner with WaterOne, cities and other key stakeholders to develop NotifyJoCo, an emergency notification system.
- Played a key role in the agreements for Meadowbrook Park between Johnson County Board of County Commissioners/Johnson County Wastewater, City of Prairie Village, developers and Johnson County Park and Recreation District.
- Helped guide the Tomahawk Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility planning and selection process, and oversaw the successful project, completed on time and on budget and estimated to save ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars over 35 years.
- Helped initiate the integrated planning process with Johnson County and City of Kansas City, Missouri to explore stormwater and wastewater solutions within a key watershed.
- Led the change to have the Airport director report to the County Manager’s Office, which resulted in greater support and partnership with county departments.
- Headed up efforts to stabilize the Transit Fund, impacting it positively by $3 million annually.
Prior Work Experience
Postoak Ferguson came to Johnson County from the City of San Antonio, Texas, where she served as assistant city manager for nearly four years. While there, she oversaw the San Antonio International Airport; the Convention, Sports and Entertainment Facilities department; Downtown Operations, the five-year $500 million Capital Improvement Management System, the Office of Cultural Affairs, and Purchasing.
Prior to her time in San Antonio, Postoak Ferguson worked for the City of Overland Park for four years, as a deputy city manager and assistant city manager. Her career also includes serving as core manager and executive director of Budget and Research (2000-02) for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, and assistant city manager (1997-2000) for the City of Hays, Kansas.
Community Involvement/Professional Associations
Postoak Ferguson serves on the Olathe Economic Development Council, the Kansas City Area Development Council Board of Directors and the United Community Services Advisory Committee. She is a member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and served as Co-Chair for the 2016 ICMA Annual Conference. She is also a member of the Kansas Association of City/County Management (KACM) and the National Association of County Administrators (NACA).
She has served on the Kansas Association of City/County Management board and on the International City/County Management Association Leadership Advisory Board.
Postoak Ferguson is past president for the Kansas University City Managers and Trainees (KUCIMAT), the KU MPA alumni organization. She has served on the following boards: United Way of Greater Kansas City board member and chair of the Audit Committee (she was asked to remain on the Audit Committee), Leadership Kansas, United Community Services of Johnson County, San Antonio Sports Foundation, Overland Park Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Overland Park South Rotary. She served on the Kansas City Area Development Council and was a member of the Diversity Committee.
Credentials, Education and Family
Postoak Ferguson is an International City/County Management Association — Credentialed Manager (ICMA-CM).
A native of Lawrence, Kansas, Postoak Ferguson attended Haskell Indian Nations University, located in Lawrence, and is a member of the Choctaw Tribe of Oklahoma. She received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Kansas, also in Lawrence, and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Kansas.
She and her husband, Dwight, have a daughter, Peyton. The family lives in Johnson County.
Articles and Awards
- 2016 Kansas City Business Journal NextGen Leader Award
- 2021 Kansas Association of City/County Management Leadership Award
- PM Magazine, the official magazine of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).
- March 1, 2024 Special Section, SheLeadsGov Across the Globe
- January 1, 2024, Becoming and Remaining a High-Performing Organization
- November 1, 2023, Feeling the “VIBE” at Johnson County Government