Johnston Now Honors: Legend Award winner driven by servant’s heart, love for her community

By Randy Capps

When Kim Robertson went to work in the newly formed Johnston County Emergency Management Department in 1988, she was one of two employees. Twenty years later, she was running it as Director of Emergency Services. She retired from that position in 2018, and today what is now known as Johnston County Emergency Services has more than 200 employees serving the county.

Planting a seed like that is probably enough to earn her the 2024 Johnston Now Honors Legend Award, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

“I went to work with Dewayne West,” she said. “It was just me and him in an office. We didn't have an emergency management plan for the office. So we actually wrote that plan together and worked on that. And from there, I kind of grew in my role, and … I would not be who I am today if it hadn't been for Dewayne West helping me get to that point. I have been so truly blessed. I have met a lot of people at the lowest points in their life, but to be a part of that process to help them get back up to where they needed to be, (is a blessing).

“The one thing I have pushed in all my years of service is providing good customer service. If someone calls you and asks you for something, if you don't have the answer, tell them you don't have the answer. Or if you think you can find the answer, tell them that you're going to look for the answer and you'll get back with them. But don't leave people hanging.”

Robertson credits her parents, Othal and Rose Minshew, with sparking her desire to serve.

“My father and my mother moved to Four Oaks in the late 60s, and there was no funeral home in Four Oaks.” she said. “My father had gone to school to be a funeral director, so we came to a little town that was so loving and accepting to my family, and we just fell in love (with the town). 

“There was no EMS in Four Oaks, (but my dad) had a hearse, and he used it as an ambulance. If someone got sick, they would call and see if they could ride, and he would drive the hearse.” 

So, in addition to starting what is now known as Rose and Graham Funeral Home, the Minshew family was also a main character in the origin story for the town’s EMS.

After retiring from Johnston County in January 2018, Robertson has worked with North Carolina Emergency Management, as a grant writer for the North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal and she’s currently working as the Associate Vice President of Public Safety at Johnston Community College.

It was an opportunity to be closer to home, where she also serves on the Four Oaks Board of Commissioners.

“I do love Four Oaks,” she said. “And I do think that there's some areas we need to improve upon. I would love to see every storefront open and successful. We’ve just got some work to do there.”

She ran for mayor a few years ago, and although she didn’t win the election, the race left a lasting impression on her.

“When I ran for mayor, it wasn't anything against Linwood (Parker),” she said. “It was just because I had just retired, and my dad was excited about it. The greatest thing that I got out of that whole running for the mayor's position was I got to spend extra time with my dad.

“My dad had dementia. But there were times that we would get the golf cart out and ride. We’d go up to people’s houses or see people out working in the yard and he would remember different ones. He would remember some, and some he didn't, but just to be able to see that little spark again, that's what made it all worthwhile. It really wasn't about so much the running of the race as it was spending that time with my dad.”

Her father’s battle with dementia is also the reason that Robertson is still serving — and avoiding retirement.

“That was the ugliest disease I think I've ever faced,” she said. “And I keep going because I don't want to stop. Because when he stopped, he just went to mush and he fell apart. So I feel like as long as I've got breath in me, I should be making a difference or trying to make a difference.”

So, she continues on, giving back to the community she loves. She credits her family for giving her the platform to serve all these years.

“My husband (Johnnie) has been very supportive,” she said. “I definitely stepped out into a man's world with public safety, but he supported me. And when I had a small child, my parents supported me. My husband traveled a lot with his job … I still had a pager. And if my pager went off at two in the morning, I still went.

“My family supported me. I could not have stayed in the role that I've been in and been a part of all the things I've been a part of, if it hadn't been for my family's support.”

Thank you to Medical Training.me for sponsoring this award.