When Don Ash got up Monday morning, it was the first time in 30 years that he didn’t have a job to go to.

He retired last week after 30 years as a Henry County employee. Starting as a 911 dispatcher in 1991, he became the head of that department in 1996. In an era in which turnover at those positions is commonplace, Ash was by far the longest-serving department head on his last day on the job.

It is no shock to anyone who has lived here the past three decades that the organization he is leaving bears little resemblance to the one he initially joined.

“When I started, we processed maybe one-third of the calls we process now,” said Ash, 55. “We typically worked with no more than three or four people on a shift. We’ve just had tremendous growth.”

The department has grown from 14-16 employees when he started to more than 50 which now operate out of their own building. The first radio system he had installed has been upgraded twice. Everything that was done on paper at one time is now automated.

Ash served on various state and national advisory boards during his career, becoming one of the most respected county officials across Georgia. During NASCAR races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he could usually be seen manning the control center from which emergency calls were managed for the 150,000 or so people on the grounds at the event.

One of the most unique tasks he has undertaken in recent years is his regular collaboration with officials from other countries. Whenever the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta has welcomed foreign dignitaries and public safety leaders of late, they have invariably been transported to McDonough to learn from Ash and his team about local emergency management.

It is this specialized work that Ash credits with helping him identify his next adventure. He is expected to report to Saudi Arabia within the next few weeks for an assignment with a private company that will likely last a year, doing similar work to what he has been doing stateside.

“It’s an amazing opportunity, and I wouldn’t have it if not for working in Henry County,” he said.
Ash received a big sendoff last week from Henry County government leaders, and he looks back fondly at his time on the job with them.

“I am so grateful to the staff I’ve had. You could not ask for a better group of professionals to work with to serve the community,” he said. “This is a great community. I grew up here and have been at the same church all my life. I’ve just had a blessed career. It’s been an amazing journey.”