Algebra was Heather Whymark's favourite subject in high school. To her solving for “x” was just a treasure hunt disguised as homework.
“I love numbers,” Whymark said. “I took all the extra math classes. I was one of those ‘geeks.' Give me an extra math class and I was zooming right along.”
It was this passion for integers and beyond that pushed her beyond utility deskwork in Sylvan Lake to finance manager duties there for eight years. It was the same interest in the mathematical that has now catapulted her from her Town of Innisfail finance manager position to her new director of corporate services gig.
“I no longer do the accounting,” she said. “Now I'll be overseeing the accounting.”
When the position became vacant after Darryl Joyce left to work in the provincial Municipal Affairs department, Whymark was the perfect candidate for the job.
The cheerful staff member is known for helping keep energy levels up in the office, namely through the supply of candy she keeps replenished in her office.
“She always has jelly beans on her desk,” said Coun. Jason Heistad. “My favourite are the Swedish Berries.”
Mayor Jim Romane agreed that she is an asset to the working environment at the town offices.
“Heather is a very positive person,” said Romane. “We're very pleased to have her (as the new director of corporate services.)”
One of her biggest tasks while working as head of the town's finances was to make sure water and sewage meters were up to snuff as the town switches over to a costly regional wastewater system.
With 3,700 metered sites, many of them outdated, making sure the town can keep accurate tabs on usage was an important but daunting challenge. This revenue will be a significant piece of Innisfail's future revenue puzzle, she said.
“We needed to make sure every site was in our billing system,” she said. “Some of them that were 20 and 30 years old weren't working.”
Her attention to detail didn't go unnoticed.
“I believe she's seen as a leader in that position,” Heistad said. “I think she gives us a lot of direction on the finance piece.”
Now she'll be responsible for providing leadership on everything from IT services, to elections, to dealing with incoming contracts and beyond.
“There's still more I don't know,” she said, adding she feels lucky to make it to the next level in the same community where she's been working for the last two years. “I still have the little butterflies in my stomach and say, ‘Oh yeah! I'm doing something different.'”
