Cronk was hired in 1999 and was the only county IT employee for three months. The department now has eight staff members.
“Greg has done a wonderful job of keeping Alexander County up-to-date with the latest technology while working hard behind the scenes to keep our network secure,” said Rick French, County Manager. “In today’s society of technological advances and cyber-attacks, it is essential to have a knowledgeable IT staff. Greg has been an integral part of the county’s team and we will miss him.”
Cronk said he has enjoyed his many years with Alexander County and is proud of the IT department’s achievements during his employment.
“County technology growth has been huge during my 23 years here. When I started, there were only 60 computers and now there are more than 400 computers used by county employees. Plus, we only had four servers back then and today we support 65 servers running a variety of systems that support all county departments,” Cronk said. “Working for Alexander County has definitely been a rewarding career, for which I am thankful.”
View photos from the retirement reception at www.bitly.com/cronk-retirement.
During his career in Alexander County, Cronk oversaw numerous large IT projects, such as 9-1-1 communications upgrades; fiber optic network construction connecting 15 county facilities; IT infrastructure for the Alexander County Law Enforcement Center, CVCC facilities, and Alexander County Services Center; library automation; jail and records management system for the Sheriff’s Office; mobile data terminals for law enforcement, EMS, and animal control vehicles; the Government (PEG) channel; the first county-managed social media outlets; countywide VoIP telephone system; and more.
Most recently, Cronk was involved in efforts to expand broadband in Alexander County.
Cronk earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Appalachian State University in 1990 and his Masters of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1995. He also earned the designation of Certified Government Chief Information Officer from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2006.
He began his career as a planner for Union County Government from 1990–1992. He was then employed by the Western Piedmont Council of Governments as a GIS Technician from 1992-1994. From 1994-1999, he was the GIS Administrator for Caldwell County Government.
Cronk resides in Bethlehem with his fiancée, Tonya Sherrill, and their two dogs, Harley and Cheyenne. Upon retirement from local government, he will manage the new Western North Carolina office for Brooks Network Services, which is an IT services company.
Alexander County Government expresses its appreciation to Greg Cronk for his 23 years of service.