there's a new top staffer at municipal hall.
The Resort Municipality of Whistler announced on March 9 that Virginia Cullen is the municipality's new chief administrative officer (CAO).
Cullen (who also goes by Ginny) was born and raised in Vancouver and has lived in Whistler for just under two years.
She comes to the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) from BGC Engineering, where she was chief operating officer.
"I spent the last eight years doing operations and strategic planning at (BGC). It's a Vancouver-based engineering consulting firm, but it has a kind of global reach, global projects, and then offices throughout North America and South America," she said.
"I spend a lot of time working on projects and with people who are outside of my community, and the opportunity to be able to align my work effort with contributing to the community I live in was super attractive to me."
While working in government will be new for Cullen, she has "indirect experience" working with First Nations on resource projects, she said, and feels her past professional experience will serve her well in her new role.
"I guess I could say I've been dropped in to a number of situations that have been completely new to me, so several times I have kind of come in, learned a new context, and then come up to speed really quickly to figure out how to be effective and affect good outcomes," she said.
"My experience is in consulting engineering and natural resources. They're complex systems, and I would say a municipal government and the team is also a complex system, so just understanding how do you make change happen in that kind of environment, and what kind of pieces do you need to put together to make things happen."
Cullen will start in the role on April 20.
The RMOW enlisted recruitment firm PFM Executive Search (at a cost of $60,000) to find its new CAO, and "a large group of very accomplished people" were considered for the role, said Mayor Jack Crompton.
"I would say council is extremely enthusiastic about Ginny coming onboard," Crompton said.
"She has deep experience in working with complex organizations. We were excited about her attention to human systems, and how people work well together."
Coming from a non-governmental background, Cullen also brings "new insights, new ideas" to the table, the mayor added.
"I don't think that Ginny's experience in organizational leadership can be understated," he said.
"She hasn't worked in local government, but she's definitely worked with various levels of government, and had a lot to do with their success. She'll bring new eyes, she'll bring new insights, and we're looking forward to seeing how she leads us into the next phase."
At the top of Cullen's priority list will be getting to know the team, she said.
"I'm really excited to be meeting everyone, and just getting a feel for how everyone works together," she said.
"Beyond that, focusing on the status of the 2020 projects, as well as the strategic planning initiative, getting up to speed with the Official Community Plan (OCP), as well as some of the work that the Strategic Planning Committee has been implementing."
Wrapped into the announcement of Cullen's appointment is news that current CAO Mike Furey will now retire from public life in June 2020, rather than assume the role of chief of strategic policy and partnerships that the RMOW created for him in July 2019.
"I thought it was the right decision for the organization and for myself," Furey said on March 11, adding that he had not yet had an opportunity to meet Cullen.
"I'm pleased to have some overlap time with the new CAO, and I am going to work in the time I have left towards concluding the approvals related to our OCP and try to keep moving forward the regional transit work, and some other pieces."
On the OCP, Furey said he's hopeful it comes back to council for approval before he leaves in June.
"I think we're really close to reaching understandings on the agreements related to the OCP, and just trying to push that over to conclusion in the next little while," he said.
From Crompton's perspective, Furey has been a "terrific leader" since joining the RMOW in 2011.
"He came in at a time that was difficult for all of us as we experienced the effects of the economic downturn," Crompton said. "He brought stability and focus. We are much better for having had Mike a part of this organization."
While Cullen has lived in Whistler for two years, she's owned property here for five, and her family history in the resort goes back decades.
"My grandma used to drive the highway in 1966, and my dad and his four brothers would go skiing while she did her knitting in the car," she said with a laugh.
"So I understand it, and yeah, there are challenges here, and that's what makes it exciting, and interesting for me to get involved with."
