Augusta County Clerk of Court Announces Retirement

Three years into her eight-year term, the retirement of Augusta County Clerk of Court Carol Brydge (R) announced Monday that she would leave April 1 after 30 years of service.

Press release from Carol Brydge:

Effective April 1, 2019, Carol M. Brydge, Augusta County Circuit Court Clerk, will retire after thirty (30) years of service.

Her career began January 1, 1989, as a Deputy Clerk. In 1992 she was promoted to Chief Deputy Clerk and held this position until being appointed as Clerk on December 19, 2014, and formally elected in a Special Election in March 2015 to fulfill the unexpired term of office of her predecessor. In November 2015 she was elected to a new 8-year term as Clerk.

Carol became the first female and 16th Clerk in the County of Augusta since the inception of the office in 1745. Since her election, the office and public have benefited from the establishment of a Clerk’s Office website, the use of credit cards, e-filing, e-recording and her innovative ways of increasing staff to meet the demands of a busy office.

After completing a year-long management program, in October 2016 she became a National Center for State Courts Certified Court Manager and received the designation of Master Circuit Court Clerk in December 2016. She also enrolled her full-time staff in a Master Circuit Court Deputy Clerk Certification Program. Currently seven of her deputy clerks have achieved this designation.

Throughout Carol’s 30-year career in the Office she has been active in the Virginia Court Clerk’s Association. As Clerk she served on the Executive, Legislative, Workload/Staffing and Convention Committees.

“It has been an honor to serve the citizens of Augusta County the past 30 years. Assisting and interacting with the public and legal community afforded me the opportunity to meet many remarkable people. I will miss working with my experienced and knowledgeable staff. Until a Special Election is held, 28-year veteran deputy clerk Gina R. Coffey will act as Interim Clerk.”

Best wishes to Carol and her husband Bob in retirement.