Clay Myers began his career in public service right out of high school when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served four years in the 2nd Ranger Battalion at Fort Lewis before being honorably discharged in 1985 with the rank of Sergeant.
Clay decided to continue on a path of public service and moved to Ellensburg to join the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office that same year. He has worked his way up through the ranks starting as a Corrections Officer and then shortly to a Commissioned Line Deputy before being promoted to Undersheriff by former Sheriff Gene Dana in 2004. Upon Sheriff Dana’s retirement in October 2019, Clay was appointed as Sheriff by the Board of County Commissioners.
Throughout his career, Clay has served as Dive Team Leader, Water & Ice Rescue Team Leader, Search & Rescue, ORV/ATV Patrol, Marine Patrol, State Marine Patrol Instructor, Emergency Management, Sniper Team Leader, Special Response Team Leader, Tactical Commander, Public Information Officer, and Incident Commander for natural disasters, man-made disasters, and Tactical events.
As Undersheriff for 16 years, Clay ran the day-to-day operations of the office and often assumed the duties of Sheriff when necessary. He was uniquely qualified for this position because, during his tenure with the KCSO, he has served in nearly every position both operationally and administratively.
Since being appointed Sheriff, Clay has provided steady leadership while working to increase overall efficiency. He has made structural changes to the command staff to streamline operations to provide better services to the citizens of Kittitas County. He has also designed and begun executing a plan to increase the office’s presence in Upper County with the goal of eventually adding a “West Precinct” in Cle Elum.
In his off-duty time, Clay has been a member of the Ellensburg Morning Rotary Club for the past seven years, the CWU Law & Justice Advisory Board, he is past president of the Kittitas County Fair Board, serves as the Director of Security and Seating on the Ellensburg Rodeo Board, and participates on various committees of the Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs (WASPC).
Clay has been married to Debbie Myers, an Ellensburg native, for 32 years. They have three daughters: Jessica Zentner, a CWU graduate and Army Captain; Lacey Myers, a CWU graduate and Army Reserve Lieutenant; and Jayme Myers, a CWU senior and the 2019 Cle Elum Roundup Queen. The Myers family raises horses on their ranch outside Ellensburg.
