A county executive (or county mayor) is the head of government of a county in the United States.
They are either elected by the citizens of the county or appointed by the county council or governor of the state.
The county executive signs bills passed by the county council into local ordinance, manages county government agencies, finances, projects, and services, and appoints the sheriff, county administrator, judges, and other officials of the county.
The title for a person holding this position is "county executive" in many states but other titles are used, including "county judge" (in Arkansas and Texas, and historically in Missouri and Tennessee), "county judge/executive" in Kentucky, and "mayor" in some counties, and "county mayor" in Hawaii and Tennessee.