SWEETWATER COUNTY — In a unanimous vote Tuesday, the Sweetwater County commissioners appointed Nena James to fill the vacant position on the Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County Board of Trustees.
The vacancy was left after Taylor Jones was selected to serve on the Board of County Commissioners in August 2023, leaving an open position on the hospital board. Jones served on the board since July 2016.
Commissioner Jones said that they are now three months into the appointment process, as they wanted to be thorough in selecting a new trustee. He said that they wanted as many good applicants as possible, which he believes they achieved. Jones reached out to every applicant and had good conversations with all of them, he said.
Chairman Keaton West said that it was nice to see so much interest in this board position from talented people. He emphasized that it is “incredibly crucial to fill” the position on the hospital board. While Jones said it isn’t an easy decision, the commissioners all agreed James was the best candidate.
“This is one of the most important boards that we appoint to, and I think that (Commissioner Jones) made a good choice here. I think Judge James will fit right in there and do a good job,” Commissioner Island Richards said.
James was a judge for the Third District Court of Sweetwater County for 18 years, first being appointed to the bench in October 2001 and retained in 2002, 2008 and 2014, before retiring in October 2019. James will join Marty Kelsey, Kandi Pendleton, Craig Rood and Barbara Sowada on the board of trustees during its next meeting on Dec. 6.
