WILLIAMSON COUNTY
School superintendent fills gap left by Gravell’s departure
GEORGETOWN — The Williamson County Commissioners Court has appointed Liberty Hill Independent School District Superintendent Steven Snell as county judge to replace Bill Gravell, who resigned this month to take a job in the Trump administration.
After hours of deliberations and candidate interviews during an afternoon special session called by commissioners for Thursday, March 27, Snell emerged as the favorite from a field of four finalists.
“I am truly honored to be appointed to this position to serve the citizens of Williamson County,” the Leander resident said in a prepared statement. Commissioners approved the appointment in a 3-1 vote, with Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles dissenting.
Snell will serve as county judge until the next general election on Nov. 3, 2026.
Commissioners previously solicited resumes from interested candidates following the sudden resignation of Gravell on March 10.
After serving as county judge since 2019, Gravell accepted a role as Region 6 advocate for the Small Business Administration in the Office of Advocacy.
Snell has served as Liberty Hill ISD superintendent for the past six years, overseeing a school district experiencing brisk growth — an enrollment expansion of 125% over the past five years, according to a county statement.
Snell saw the district through a pair of successful bond elections with construction projects totaling more than $1 billion, according to a county press release.
Prior to his top role at Liberty Hill ISD, Snell was superintendent at Spring Hill Independent School District and assistant superintendent for the Hutto Independent School District.
Snell is civically active on several boards and councils — the Liberty Hill Economic Development Council Board and Liberty Hill ISD Education Foundation among them.
He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas Tech University.
Commissioners gathered for a 2:30 p.m. special session on Thursday before immediately going into executive session to interview finalists.
Some four hours later, at 6:48 p.m., commissioners reemerged for the regular session after interviewing candidates.
“We have had a good discussion with the four individuals that we chose to interview,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey said.
As the longesttenured member of the court, Covey has overseen meetings since Gravell’s departure.
“I want to first of all say thank you to each person that spent time with us today and also really over the last week meeting with us and all the time you have crunched into your day to make that happen, and your week,” she added.
At that, Precinct 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long made a motion to appoint Snell as county judge, with a second by Precinct 1 Commissioner Terry Cook.
“I will add, you guys were all really impressive,” Cook said, addressing the finalists for the job. “And that’s why we’re back there looking at each other saying, ‘What do we do?’ But the choice has to carry us into the future and it’s coming at us hard and fast. I think Steven Snell is ready to take us there.”
Covey said fiscal planning is a top priority.
“The entire court was dedicated to promptly selecting a highly qualified candidate who could hit the ground running, as we are in a crucial time in our budget season,” Covey said in a subsequent prepared statement. “We are excited to work alongside Steven in setting the priorities for Williamson County through our budget and our strategic plan.”
