Mrs. Gladys F. Nettles is a native and resident of Camden, Arkansas. She was the first African American woman to win the office of Ouachita County Circuit Clerk. She was sworn in Monday, January 2, 2017, to this office and now is in her third term as an elected county official. Gladys is married to the Reverend Gregory C. Nettles, the pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Camden. They have three adult children: Jamie, Derrick, and Courtney. They also have eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Nettles has over thirty years of experience in county government and has held a variety of roles, including experience as Probate Clerk, Filing Clerk, Voter Registration, and Level 2 Appraiser. She is now the most senior employee of Ouachita County Courthouse, with nearly forty years of experience. She has completed and received the certification of Workforce Management for the National Center for State Courts, Institute for Court Management.

“My decision to run for the Office of Circuit Clerk came after many hours of prayer and discussion with my family. There was an obvious need for more diversity, professionalism, courtesy, and education in this office. I have kept my campaign promise made to the citizens of Ouachita County of creating an efficient, effective, and professional office. Some accomplishments during my tenure: we have improved and updated the filing and accessibility through our IT partners of Fiddler and Univo Data. Our staff have attended continuing education seminars that the state of Arkansas has offered to the employees of the Circuit Clerk office, enabling us to be more efficient and conscious of the importance of recordkeeping.”

“I thank the voters for entrusting the staff and I to serve each of you with dignity, privacy, and protection of all your legal documents which are stored in our office. To the judges of Ouachita County, it is an honor to work hand in hand with men and women of personal and professional integrity for the citizens of Ouachita County.”

I say to each of you: We are because of who you are. My personal motto is Believe, Receive, Achieve, In Jesus’ Name, AMEN!”

-- Gladys Nettles