- Organization: Resort Municipality of Whistler
- Posted: April 14th, 2020
Following a thorough recruitment process, the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) has hired Virginia (Ginny) Cullen at its new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). Cullen will start with the organization April 20, 2020.
Most recently Chief Operating Officer for BGC Engineering, Cullen brings two decades of leadership experience managing large teams and complex projects. She has established successful operations and financial reporting processes, strategic planning and development frameworks, and progressive employee and community engagement.
“We are thrilled to welcome Virginia Cullen to the RMOW team. Ginny brings an impressive record of building innovative and high-functioning organizations,” said Whistler Mayor Jack Crompton. “After an exhaustive search, council is satisfied that Ginny is very much the right person at the right time to lead our organization. She is collaborative, experienced, and deeply interested in helping people achieve their best.”
“I am excited about the opportunity to join the RMOW team where I can apply my experience to many important community issues,” said Cullen. “One of my first priorities will be to build a deeper understanding of the current municipal environment through meetings with RMOW council and management, as well as partner organizations and committees.”
Other initial priorities will include familiarization with major municipal capital and strategic community planning projects, the Official Community Plan (OCP), as well as the assessment of current trends and issues.
Cullen holds a Masters of Engineering from the University of British Columbia, and recently attended the Thnk School of Creative Leadership in Amsterdam. At BGC, she managed environmental assessment and mine closure projects prior to assuming her role as COO where she led operations and strategic planning. She is passionate about purpose-driven teams and inspiring leadership at all levels of an organization. She lives in Whistler with her husband and twin daughters.
Cullen will succeed Mike Furey in the CAO role. Furey will remain with organization until June 2020 to assist with the CAO transition and work toward the conclusion of several key files, including approval of the OCP and related agreements with the Lil’wat Nation and Squamish Nation. Furey began with RMOW in September 2011.
Mayor Jack Crompton thanked Furey for his dedicated service to the Municipality: “Mike has been a strong leader and our community has been well served by his thoughtful approach and commitment to excellence in municipal services. During his time as CAO Mike has played a key role in growing provincial tourism funding, furthering economic success, the development of new employee housing, increased transit services, and many other accomplishments. He leaves the municipality in a strong fiscal position. Mike has built an incredible team that serve our community with enthusiasm and professionalism. We are fortunate to benefit from crossover time with the new CAO, something that is rarely possible,” said the mayor.
The RMOW has had five administrators since the establishment of the municipality in 1975 and Cullen will become the sixth. The overall recruitment process involved council and the Director of Human Resources working with recruitment agency PFM Executive Search. The hiring decision for CAO is the responsibility of council.
The CAO position leads the team of staff and operations of the RMOW. The position also builds and maintains key relationships with other levels of government, as well as with resort and external partners. The CAO reports directly to council.
