New CAO announced for Barrie

News release from City of Barrie December 12 2011

Barrie City Council is pleased to announce that Carla Ladd has been hired to lead The City of Barrie as Chief Administrative Officer, effective February 27, 2012.  Carla’s experience spans nearly three decades of progressive leadership in the municipal sector.

 As the Chief Administrative Officer of the City of Kitchener since 2004, Carla has led strategic initiatives that transformed not only that municipal organization, but the city itself.  Carla believes strongly in the engagement of the community through strategic initiatives, responsible risk taking, and partnerships.  During her tenure at the City of Kitchener, she led successful initiatives such as a community-driven economic development plan for downtown revitalization, a new customer service strategy, a consolidated maintenance facility, and the People Plan, an innovative approach to driving productivity and staff engagement.

 “I am absolutely delighted that Barrie will be led by a CAO with such an extensive record of accomplishment in a city that has already tackled many of the challenges facing Barrie,” says Mayor Jeff Lehman.  “Carla’s background in Kitchener and in particular her focus on community-building will be a tremendous addition to Barrie and to our organization.”

 An urban planner by background, Carla is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Schulich School of Business, Centre of Excellence in Municipal Leadership at York University.  She brings a focus on strong Council-staff relations, community and business partnerships, and innovative approaches to municipal service delivery to the leadership of The City of Barrie.  “The City of Barrie is fortunate to have someone of Carla’s caliber join the Corporation and we all look forward to the transition,” says Lehman.