Marshall County Auditor

Nan Benson

When you accept the position of county auditor, you know there will be
challenges. If you accept the position of county recorder along with it, you need to be
even more prepared. But will you be prepared for an EF3 tornado hitting your
courthouse? That’s what Nan Benson had to contend with in her first year on the job.

Nan is a lifelong Marshall County resident who attended West Marshall High
School and Central College in Pella. A CPA, she worked at Emerson Electric Company
in Human Resources Information Systems and then on the Software
Trainer/Implementation Team. When she heard that the Marshall County Board of
Supervisors was filling a vacancy in the county auditor/recorder position by appointment,
she applied, because the position “sounded interesting and challenging.” And after all,
she had previous experience as the elected Washington Township Clerk. The Board
appointed her effective October 31, 2017.

She was then elected to complete the term in November of 2018, but before that
could happen a tornado struck downtown Marshalltown on July 19. It did structural
damage to the courthouse and set off the sprinkler system, which poured nearly 16,000
gallons of water into the east side of the building before it could be shut off. Nan’s office
has been in temporary quarters ever since. They hope to be back in their historic
courthouse in late 2019.

Nan and her husband Jay have a corn/soybean farm operation west of
Marshalltown. Jay is one of seven children, and an annual family gathering at their home
routinely gathers 60-70 people. Nan and Jay have two daughters, a son, and a grandson.

Nan enjoys traveling to new places and visiting family. Her birthday is July 14.