When Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille says, The Clerk will call the role, hes talking about Jackie Henderson, Alexandrias City Clerk.

When Henderson was a little girl in Indiana, Penn., she didnt dream of becoming a city clerk. I didnt even know what one was, she said.

Since 1981, though, thats just what she has been. First, she was the City Clerk for the City of Fairfax. In 2003, she was hired by the City of Alexandria. She helps the mayor manage council meetings, prepares the minutes of every meeting, makes certain that those many proclamations are prepared and printed appropriately and makes sure that docket memorandums are in their proper place on the web site.

I took shorthand but dont really use it anymore. The laptop is much faster and I need it anyway for the web cast, Henderson said.

She was recently elected president of the Virginia Municipal Clerks Association. We have been working toward certifications for all clerks, Henderson said. There are currently two levels of certifications: Certified Municipal Clerk and Master Municipal Clerk. We would like to eventually require that all clerks are certified, she said.

Henderson is one of only three people who reports directly to City Council. The other two are the City Attorney and the City Manager. I really love working for the mayor and Council. They treat me very well, Henderson said.