Rita Fyffe: Celebrating 50 Years of Public Service

Professionally speaking, Rita Fyffe doesn’t know anything other than public service.

At age 18, Fyffe went to work in adult probation with Gregg County, Texas, in November 1977, just months after graduating from Longview High School.

Fyffe worked in that department—now called Community Supervision and Corrections—for the next 12 years. She began as a data entry clerk, before being promoted to bookkeeper, then administrative assistant.

She moved on to the County’s newly established human resources department in 1989, initially as an administrative assistant. When funds wouldn’t allow for three employees in HR, Fyffe began to take on all of the department’s duties—insurance and benefits, safety, worker’s compensation, benefits and grievances, for example.

“The whole gamut,” she says. “In that position, I learned all levels of HR.”

The HR knowledge that Fyffe acquired over the years eventually led to her being named the County’s human resources director in 2000. She led the HR function for the next 21 years, leaving in 2021 to become an HR consultant with the Texas Association of Counties (TAC). Her trajectory might have been different if not for one important mentor.

“I was very blessed to have worked with a gentleman by the name of William Dexter, who was [Gregg County’s] director of HR at the time [I started in HR]. While attending college, he was a source of encouragement and support,” says Fyffe, who graduated, with honors, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from LeTourneau University in 2000.

“I learned so much from him,” she continues. “Once he retired in 2000, the Commissioner’s Court appointed me as his replacement. I spent the next 21 years building a department in which employees were respected and cherished.”

Fyffe always envisioned retiring from Gregg County and “going off into the sunset, living on a beach.” One phone call changed her plans and put her on a new path.

“A young lady, Michele Arseneau, an HR consultant with the Texas Association of Counties called one day and asked me if I had ever considered working for them,” says Fyffe. “I never thought I would be good enough.”

Arseneau thought otherwise, and encouraged Fyffe to apply for the HR consultant position that she would end up accepting.

“I have been truly blessed,” says Fyffe, who will celebrate 50 years of public service in 2027.

“I absolutely love my job and truly feel as though this is where God wants me to be. And, until the time of retirement, I will continue to help those in HR as long as I can.”

Fyffe joined PSHRA as a member in 2024, “because my career has been almost entirely within county government.”

As such, Fyffe was seeking a professional association that aligns with the unique challenges and requirements of the public sector.

“In my experience, county government HR operates under a very different framework, with distinct rules, compliance requirements and operational constraints,” she says.

“PSHRA is designed specifically for public sector professionals, and offers more targeted insights, tools and discussions that directly apply to county and government HR. I joined because I want to stay current on emerging practices, compliance updates and innovative approaches that are specific to public service.”

Fyffe values continuous learning, and she hopes to keep “using the knowledge and experience I’ve gained throughout my career in county government to support and guide others,” she says.

“I want to continue making a meaningful difference by providing practical, experience-based guidance that supports sound decision-making, strengthens HR practices and ultimately contributes to positive outcomes for both organizations and the people they serve.”