SALISBURY — After nearly 30 years working for county government, Rowan County Human Resources Director Darlene Boling says she’ll retire later this year.

Boling started as a human resources technician and worked her way up to her current position. She became the county’s human resources manager in 1997. In 2009, she became the department’s director.

Nervous about retirement, Boling says she will step down on Dec. 1.

“I get excited about it, but it’s also kind of scary,” Boling said. “I’ve done this work for so long, and I know I’m going to miss all of the employees I’ve worked with, all the relationships I’ve built and all of the HR professionals across the state.”

As human resources director, her job involves advising and training department directors on personnel and supervisory issues, including disciplinary actions.

She said employees work hard to serve residents of Rowan County. The employees are her clients, Boling said.

County Manager Aaron Church said he’s sad to see Boling leave. Church said she’s intelligent and dedicated to her job. She will be missed, Church said.

Church is the fourth county manager Boling has worked under. Her list of former bosses includes former county managers Gary Page, Bill Cowan and Tim Russell.

Boling has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in human resources. Both degrees are from Appalachian State University. She worked in retail and customer service jobs before joining the county.

She said being a county government employee has been rewarding and that she’ll miss being involved in local government.

“It’s provided more gratification than I could have imagined,” Boling said.

Already, the county has started soliciting applications for a new human resources director. Church said he wants to fill the position before Boling leaves. The salary range is $70,000 to $112,100.

In its advertisement, the county states the minimum requirements for its human resources director position is a master’s degree in a relevant field and five years of experience in the field, including supervisory and management experience.

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246.