DOROTHY LANKFORD RETIRES AFTER 27 YEARS OF SERVICE IN DISTRICT CLERKS OFFICE
At noon on March 31, dozens of clerks, supervisors, managers and others gathered in a surprise lunch to thank Civil/Tax Supervisor Dorothy Lankford for her years of dedication to Dallas County and to wish her well in her retirement.
Along with her husband and other family members, District Clerk Gary Fitzsimmons and Chief Deputy Virginia Etherly were present to present a framed certificate recognizing her contributions.
Trainers Melinda Thomas and Zereata Traylor-Hickerson planned the luncheon which featured a buffet lunch, cut-outs hanging from the ceiling of angels, which Dorothy collects, and a slide show capturing images of many of her colleagues.
She began her service in the County Clerk’s Office where she was steadily promoted until reaching the position of Assistant Manager of the County Clerk’s Civil Department. She accepted her current position as the District Clerk’s Civil/Tax Supervisor in 2005.
In her position, Dorothy says that she has enjoyed watching clerks grow in knowledge and realize it takes a team to get all objectives accomplished. Dorothy not only enjoys working with the clerks she supervises, but also takes pride in helping customers resolve questions and issues they may have. Says Dorothy, “Over the years, I’ve learned that to be a good supervisor and provide good customer service, I need to be a good listener as well as a good advisor.”
Having lost her mother when she was 15, Dorothy considers completing her education her greatest challenge and achievement. Returning to college at 40, Dorothy earned an Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies from El Centro College in four years, while working and running a busy household.
She earned a Bachelor degree in Legal Information Management 2002 from the University of North Texas, where she graduated cum laude, with a grade point average of 3.69. “I had a goal to achieve and I never gave up on my dream.”
Dorothy advised her clerks to always keep an open line of communication with workers and superiors, and to above all, be honest with themselves and others. She also shared her own experience to help her clerks find the determination to set goals and achieve them. “I encouraged all my staff to look at their work as a learning experience and as a path to growth.”
Based now in her new home in the countryside, Dorothy enjoys camping, fishing, sewing, needlework, and cooking. The mother of five children and three stepchildren, she is also a grandmother to13.