When she moved to Michigan from Texas at the age of 16, Jill Verros said one of her first memories is attending a youth group camp in Lake Orion.
‘I became very attached to the area, and I knew I would settle here one day,? she said.
Although she was living in Shelby at the time, Verros? prediction came true and her attachment to the community remains.
Verros was hired as the new assistant to Orion Township Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk on Jan. 5, replacing former assistant Elizabeth Balch who recently relocated to Las Vegas. Verros, a Lake Orion resident for 13 years, said it was Balch who encouraged her to take the job.
‘I decided I wanted to go back (to work) full-time,? she said. ‘Elizabeth told me about the job. I don’t know if I would have done it if Elizabeth hadn’t called me.?
Verros began her career as a nurse after receiving her nursing degree from Oakland University. She worked in Detroit at Henry Ford and the Detroit Medical Center before she decided to go back to school and pursue a degree in finance.
She earned a master’s of Business Administration degree from Michigan State University and married her husband George before moving to Lake Orion in 1990. The couple has two sons, Christopher, 10, and Alex, 15.
‘I worked part-time at Carpenter Elementary School after the kids were born, I was their intersession coordinator,? Verros said.
Verros also worked for Orion Township prior to becoming the supervisor’s assistant; she was the payroll/accounts payable clerk in the township clerk’s office from 1999-2000. She said she likes working for the township because it’s a job that’s in the community, close to home and allows her to provide service to constituents, of which she is one.
‘I knew all the people here and I was familiar with the township and its operations,? she added. ‘I have to be fair and impartial, like a judge.?
Part of her job is to handle correspondence on behalf of Dywasuk, and follow up on ongoing projects that don’t require the supervisor to be directly involved, but still must go through his office.
‘I also give him a different perspective on meetings,? Verros said. ‘I’m a liaison for him when he can’t attend community meetings.?
Verros is enjoying the job and the people she works with.
‘I like working for Jerry,? she said. ‘He’s easy to work for, and he’s diplomatic and fair. He doesn’t have a personal agenda, the whole township is his agenda. His heart is in the right place, it’s in the township.?
Verros also liked the flexibility the job gives her and the contact she has with people in the township.
‘I want to continue on where Elizabeth left off and continue the good job she did,? she said. ‘I want to support the supervisor and his goals and objectives, and get him through this election year.?
When Verros has free time, she enjoys traveling and reading. Following the stock market is her favorite thing to do.
‘I also mentor disadvantaged kids in the schools…and I like to participate in senior activities,? she said.