Nevada County Taps Craig Griesbach to Lead Information and General Services Agency

Craig Griesbach, who’s been the acting director of Nevada County’s Information and General Services Agency (IGS) since December, has been named to the post permanently.

Griesbach, a Nevada City resident, most recently served as the county’s director of Emergency Services and doubled as interim IGS director since his predecessor, Steve Monaghan, retired from government service in December. Before his role overseeing Emergency Services, Griesbach served as director of Building, Code and Cannabis Compliance and, according to a county news release, “led the creation of an award-winning over-the-counter plan review program and regional housing master plans to make building more accessible and affordable.”

“I’m looking forward to tackling the challenges ahead, including exploring economic opportunities at our airport, overseeing significant improvements to our aging county facilities, leveraging innovation through technology and supporting our library system,” Griesbach said in the release. “At the same time, I’ll continue to build on our work in emergency preparedness, making sure we are ready for any future challenges our community may encounter.”

The county’s executive officer, Alison Lehman, said in the release: “Craig has a proven record of successfully leading key county programs. Under his leadership, he’s implemented award-winning microgrant programs for our Firewise communities, advanced our emergency preparedness at the neighborhood level, and is leading us through our biomass pilot project, processing over 5,000 tons of hazardous fuels from priority evacuation routes.”

In addition, he was responsible for the management of a $60 million portfolio of grants to the Office of Emergency Services to enhance community preparedness.

Griesbach brings more than 19 years’ experience managing and leading local government programs, including over 11 years at Nevada County. Before coming to the county in 2014, Griesbach had served as senior building inspector for Yolo County and then chief building official for the city of Oroville.

He has a Bachelor of Arts in organizational leadership from Brandman University, is a graduate of the Nevada County Community Leadership Institute and the UC Davis Executive Leadership Program, and is a credentialed fellow and senior executive with California State Association of Counties.
According to the county announcement, Griesbach was born and raised on a large cattle and logging ranch in Northern California and is passionate about the outdoors, the environment and Nevada County’s culture. He is married with three sons who attend school in Grass Valley and participate in local sports. In his free time, Griesbach enjoys riding motorcycles, backpacking, working outdoors and coaching youth sports.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity to serve the community that I love and lucky enough to live, work and play in,” he said. “I look forward to continuing working hand-in-hand with our residents, county staff, businesses and partners that will help our community flourish.”

Griesbach worked under his predecessor, Monaghan, the award-winning government leader who spent 25 years working in and leading Nevada County’s technology operation before ascending to the role as IGS director. In April 2023, Monaghan named Landon Beard his successor as CIO, part of his succession planning.

At the time, Monaghan told Industry Insider — California in an interview, “For me, I get to take off the CIO hat, focusing my full time now on being the director over the nine lines of business that make up our Information and General Services Agency.”

Since retiring from the county, Monaghan has joined Ladris as vice president of AI and public safety. He remains active in numerous industry and community organizations and writes on government leadership on his website, LGOV LLC.