Ringgold appoints Jama House new finance director
The city of Ringgold has appointed Jama House as successor to long-time finance director Will Baerg, who will retire at the end of February.
During the City Council meeting on Jan. 28, the board unanimously ratified City Manager Dan Wright’s appointment of House to the position.
House, a CPA, began working with the city last fall and has worked closely with Baerg during the last few weeks of his tenure.
“We hired Jama House back in September of 2018,” Wright said. “She has worked along side Will Baerg, who’s been with us a little over 12 years now. When I started asking Will about her after she had been here a few weeks, he gave me the thumbs up. He was very satisfied with her work.”
A couple of years ago, House ran for Catoosa County tax commissioner, but was defeated by Gary Autry. She’s active in the community, and her husband, Brian, is a Superior Court judge for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit.
Before the board voted to ratify the hire, Wright raved about how much of an asset House will be to the city as an employee and a person.
“Jama has demonstrated a very high level of professionalism and she is extremely enjoyable to work with,” Wright said. “That’s not just myself, all the other directors and employees that have come in contact with her see that she’s here to serve and help people, which is very obvious by the way she conducts herself. It’s very refreshing.”
House earned her bachelor’s degree from Carson-newman University, and will take over the position immediately even though Baerg will still be with the city through February.
“She’s done the job since mid December probably,” Wright said. “She’s been a great addition to our finance team here. I would very much appreciate the City Council ratifying my appointment of Jama House as the next city of Ringgold finance director.”
After the unanimous vote, House thanked the council for the opportunity, and Mayor Pro Tem Terry Crawford shared his excitement to have her on board.
“Congratulations, Jama. We’re tickled to death to have you down here,” Crawford said.