Profile: Jan Mittermeier

Position: Orange County executive officer

Age: 60

Residence: Huntington Beach

Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s degree in business administration from Cal State Long Beach; certificate in executive management, UC Irvine

Hometown: Toleson, Ariz.

Family: Husband, Ron; two grown sons

CAREER CHRONOLOGY

1974: Hired as an entry-level auditor for Orange County at $12,000 a year. Went on to head internal audit division.

1987: Became assistant director of John Wayne Airport where she helped oversee $310-million expansion.

1990: Appointed airport director by the county Board of Supervisors.

1995

* July: Hired as county’s interim chief executive officer to replace William J. Popejoy, who resigned after clashes with the Board of Supervisors amid fallout from the 1994 bankruptcy.

* September: After a nationwide search, Mittermeier is hired as the county’s permanent chief executive for $140,000 a year.

1996

* March: Board of Supervisors holds a closed-door performance evaluation of Mittermeier in response to county officials’ complaints about her “autocratic” style. No action is taken.

* November: Board of Supervisors approves her county government overhaul plan to cut 241 jobs and save the county $11 million in administrative costs.

1997

* Dec. 3: Survives an attempt to remove her as leader of the team working to convert El Toro Marine Corps Air Station into a commercial airport. The effort stemmed from her refusal to provide Supervisor Tom Wilson, an airport opponent, with information on El Toro-related lobbying trips planned by county officials.

* Dec. 10: Survives an effort led by Wilson and Supervisor Todd Spitzer to decrease her powers and change her title from county executive officer to county administrative officer.

1998

* October: Accepts a new, three-year contract that reduces her authority to select top county managers but raises her salary from $148,000 to $160,000 per year.

* November: Listed among Governing magazine’s top public officials of the year.

1999

* June: Board of Supervisors holds a closed-door session to discuss her performance in the aftermath of her attempt to fire a well-regarded department head without notifying the board and for refusing to provide a reason. She reassigns the official to another department instead. No action is taken.

2000

* April 4: After word leaks out that Mittermeier had interviewed for a deputy director position at Los Angeles International Airport, the Board of Supervisors orders her to appear before them at a closed-door session but again takes no action.

* April 11: Board of Supervisors holds a closed-door session to discuss Mittermeier’s performance. She avoids being fired by a 3-2 vote.

* June 27: Mittermeier is asked to step down after a closed-door 4-0 vote by the Board of Supervisors. Mittermeier will leave immediately and receive a severance package worth about $198,000.

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Source: Times reports; Researched by Times Librarian SHEILA A. KERN