South Orange Trustee Deborah Davis Ford has accepted a full-time job with the county and will start as the Clerk to the Board of Chosen Freeholders next month.

She'll be sworn in by County Clerk Chris Durkin on June 1 at noon at the Hall of Records in Newark.

Davis Ford will be overseeing the administrative staff of about eight and likens the position to a "chief of staff" for the freeholders.

In addition to being a Trustee for the past two years, Davis Ford is chairperson of the Essex County Democratic Women organization and says she's enthusiastic about taking a job in government, though her professional background is in the corporate arena in executive management and staffing positions.

"All the planets have aligned, so it's a natural transition," she said.

Davis Ford doesn't earn a salary as a Trustee but will make $85,000 in the County position, according to the County Clerk. Her predecessor, Adrianne Davis, held the position for 20 years, and an Acting Clerk has had the job for the past six months while a permanent replacement was sought.