New Brock CAO taking on the township’s top job in January

DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard

BROCK: The new year will bring at least one new face to Brock Township town hall, with the recent announcement Michelle Wilson has been appointed as the new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), effective January 2nd, 2024.

The appointment follows an extensive recruiting process to fill the township’s top job, and Mayor Walter Schummer expressed his enthusiasm to be able to bring Ms. Wilson into the fold, as well as the potential for positive changes in the short and long term for the municipality.

“Michelle’s strong professional credentials and experience will serve her well, in helping guide Brock through the many exciting changes and improvements coming to our Township,” Mayor Schummer said, in a press release. “It was critical for Council to make surewe not only achieved the goal of obtaining an excellent CAO, but the candidate would provide support to our outstanding staff and deliver an atmosphere, at the Township [which] supports personal and professional growth in our team.”

Mr. Schummer went on to express his gratitude for his peers on council, the hiring committee, as well as outgoing CAO Ingrid Svelnis, who had served in an interim capacity after retiring from the same post for several years in Uxbridge.

“I want to thank Council, the members of the hiring committee, and our interim CAO Ingrid Svelnis for the hard work, reviewing and interviewing many excellent candidates over the past month,” added Mayor Schummer. “Michelle represents the best of the best, and we all look forward to her transitioning into this vital role in the new year.”

To ensure a smooth transition into her new role, Ms. Wilson will be working with Ms. Svelnis, passing on valuable knowledge from her decades of experience in municipal administration in North Durham.

Ms. Wilson comes to Brock with more than 20 years of experience in the public sector which will serve her well, as she enters her new post in January, as councillors begin the task of finalizing the municipal budget for 2024. Most recently, Ms. Wilson has served in York Region, as the Director of Housing Finance and Chief Financial Officer of York Region’s community housing company. Ms. Wilson is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and has previously worked in senior leadership positions, at Trent University in Peterborough and Ontario Tech University in Oshawa.

“I am honoured and excited to be Brock’s next CAO and am committed to serving the community with passion and integrity,” explained Ms. Wilson in her introductory statement. “I look forward to advancing Council’s priorities and working with the Township’s dedicated team, to continue delivering exceptional services to the residents of Brock.”