After several months of searching for the perfect candidate, the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors appointed Stan Risen of Ceres as the new chief executive officer on Friday.

Having worked for the county for 26 years and served as the interim CEO prior to being officially selected, Risen has a myriad of experience coming into the position.

"Each county employee and our entire community will benefit from Stan's values and integrity as he leads the county towards its vision of being a county that is respected for its services in the community and is known as the best in America," said Board of Supervisors Chairman Vito Chiesa. "We are very fortunate to have someone of Stan's caliber and experience within the organization."

Risen began his career with Stanislaus County in 1987 as an appraiser before being promoted to a position in the chief executive office in 1999. In 2005, Risen was promoted to Assistant Executive Office, where he oversaw the preparation and monitoring of the county budget while also leading the Finance Operations team. During this time, Risen was assigned to work alongside the Integrated Criminal Justice System, Family Justice Center, Grand Jury, Law Library, Regional 911 and StanCERA, while also facilitating the work of the Safe community and Efficient Government Operations Board Priority Teams.

Being involved in numerous projects, including the development of the county's salary projection and budget submittal, Risen has worked on the county's comprehensive update to the Public Facilities Fee program, the Health Services Agency Strategic Plan and the Salida Community Plan, in addition to serving on the Ceres City Council for 11 years.

In his new position, Risen will oversee 3,900 employees and the annual county budget of over one billion dollars. A full employment contract and a compensation package for Risen will be considered by the Board of Supervisors during their Dec. 3 meeting.