Joanne Land

Joanne Land

Written by Kathy Lesko Thursday, 07 December 2006

While growing up in Georgetown, Joanne Matysek Land proclaimed more than once, “I will never, ever, EVER live in Round Rock!” The fourth-generation Williamson County-ite, as loyal as she was to her hometown, ate her words in 1970 when she and her husband, James, moved into their new home in the outskirts of Round Rock. Now, 36 years later, she admits the “word snack” was one of the sweetest things she’s ever had to digest.

With a father who was a county sheriff, Land knew the area well. Her husband’s dispatching job with Austin’s Department of Public Safety necessitated they reside within a certain distance of the city. Round Rock offered them the perfect small community in which to raise a family.

She was quickly hired as Round Rock’s city secretary, one of the 10 city employees in the town of a little more than 2,800 residents.

She remembers writing water bills by hand and counting election ballots that had been collected in old potato chip tins with slits cut in the covers. As she became more ingrained in the ways of Round Rock, she assumed other titles including tax assessor-collector and assistant city manager, a position she held for the last 14 of her 32-year career with the city before retiring in 2002.

One of the highlights of her tenure with Round Rock, she says, was the four months she served as interim police chief. “The Commish,” as she became known to the city’s police force, was challenged with the task of reuniting a group that had suffered a tremendous blow following the retirement of the previous chief.

Land was a member of the team conducting the search for a replacement. Her quiet confidence and reassuring demeanor prompted the city manager to place her in the temporary position.

“I remember walking into my first staff meeting, looking around and thinking, ‘Oh my, they’ve all got guns.’” But she was welcomed with open arms and treated with respect. “They were actually very protective of me,” she said.

Her commitment to her various city positions resulted in a number of firsts for Round Rock: joint elections with the school district; compensation plan reviews to bring salaries to market; helped to bring Round Rock Medical Center, Dell Computers and Round Rock Express baseball team to the city.

Land’s contributions have not gone unnoticed. She was one of the first two individuals to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chamber of Commerce and holds the title of Assistant City Manager Emeritus, the only such title bestowed on a city employee.

Much has changed over the past three and a half decades; Round Rock’s population is broaching 90,000 and the city employs 800 people. Joanne credits city officials, past and present, with embracing change and melding the old with the new.

“Round Rock has always been ready for change,” she says. “People love this city because of it.”

A Spirit of Involvement

“You rarely see a community rally the way this one does,” Joanne said. “If something needs to get done, it gets done!” She embodies that spirit and has been or is currently involved with the following:

• Relay for Life
• Habitat for Humanity of Greater Round Rock
• United Way of Williamson County
• Senior Citizens Foundation
• Round Rock Women’s Club
• Round Rock Chamber of Commerce
• Texas Mission of Mercy
• Chaparral Women’s Club
• Round Rock Women’s Business Club
• Blackland Prairie Elementary School
• Round Rock Parks & Recreation Department

Editor’s Note: I first heard of Joanne Land and her importance in the economic development of Round Rock during the history session of the Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Round Rock. Martin Parker, author of Historical Round Rock, Texas told the group that in his opinion Joanne and Bob Bennett, long-time City Manager, were the driving force in the ‘70s to bring Round Rock to the city it is today. That’s quite an accomplishment from someone who once said she would never live in Round Rock.