Greater Napanee announces new CAO, Manager of Legislative Services/Municipal Clerk
After months of multiple senior positions within the Town of Greater Napanee sitting vacant, the municipality has announced the hiring of a new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and a new Manager of Legislative Services/Municipal Clerk.
Former CAO, Ray Callery, announced his departure from the position in April 2021, which came into effect as of Monday, Jul. 5, 2021. At that time, the position of Municipal Clerk was already sitting vacant, and both positions remained unfilled until the Town of Greater Napanee announced the new hires on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021.
The new hires come “after a nation-wide search,” the Town said in a press release, which announced John Pinsent as the new CAO, and Jessica Walters as the new Manager of Legislative Service/Municipal Clerk.
According to the Town, Pinsent “brings a wealth of municipal knowledge with him to the Greater Napanee community.” Pinsent has previously served as the CAO for the Town of Woodstock in New Brunswick, and comes to Napanee from his position as the CAO of the Township of Ramara here in Ontario. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and an Ontario Certified General Accountant (CGA) Bachelor of Business administration from the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), and is bilingual in English and French. Among those positions he’s held over his career, Pinsent has served as the Director General – Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) Renewal, Director of General Resource Management and Deputy Chief Financial Officer at CBSA, and various senior positions with the National Energy Board. He has familial ties in the Greater Napanee area, and looks forward to beginning his new duties in there, the Town of Greater Napanee said.
“On behalf of Council and Staff, I am happy to welcome John Pinsent to Greater Napanee as our new CAO,” Mayor Marg Isbester said in a statement. “I look forward to John bringing himself up to speed to prepare the municipality for the changes and challenges that lay ahead. I also welcome John and his family as part of our community.”
Walters obtained a Certificate in Local Government Administration from the University of Regina, and BA coursework towards a degree in International Studies from St. Stephen’s University, and has spent nearly a decade working in municipal government, according to the Town of Greater Napanee. She comes to Napanee having served as the City Clerk at the City of Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan since 2015. Prior to that, she worked as the Acting City Manager in the same municipality. Walters loves working as a Municipal Clerk and connecting with the community she lives and works in, which she looks forward to doing once she’s relocated to Greater Napanee, the Town said.
“I am also happy to welcome Jessica Walters to the position of Manager of Legislative Services/Municipal Clerk,” Mayor Isbester said. “Jessica will help round out the staff within Community and Corporate Services, in a position that is constantly working to keep current on changes in governance and policy, as directed by Council.”
Both Pinsent and Walters begin their roles with the Town of Greater Napanee effective Monday, Sept. 20, 2021.