INNISFAIL – The Town of Innisfail has gone within the organization to appoint a new director of corporate services, a key senior management figure who faces the challenging task of navigating the town’s financial affairs through the remaining pandemic era and beyond.
As of July 7, Erica Vickers, the town’s finance manager since 2015, has been tasked to fill the high-profile role that has been vacant since the sudden departure of 11-year senior management veteran Heather Whymark last March 31.
Todd Becker, the town’s chief administrative officer, said Vickers will oversee a number of town functions that will include finance, human resources, information technology, procurement, and risk management.
“Erica has proven to be an excellent member of our team. Having her serve as a director will only strengthen the organization’s core systems,” said Becker, adding the town did undertake a thorough public recruitment process before ultimately selecting Vickers for the position.
“I believe her skills and abilities will ultimately improve the quality of service the town can offer to the community.”
Vickers, 38, said she was “excited” with the new opportunity to help move the town forward, noting she has been an Innisfailian most of her life who now lives in town with her husband and two children.
“I really do care what happens to Innisfail, and the direction Innisfail does take. I am really excited to be a part of that,” said Vickers, whose service with the town is the first with any municipal government after working previously in the private sector.
Vickers is coming into her new position at a challenging time. The pandemic, although now easing, has created many of those challenges. This fall will bring in a new mayor and council, and right away they will have to deal with a new budget. Despite all that, she has confidently laid out her priorities.
“The priority first and foremost will be to get new council through budget. That will be a pretty tall order,” she said. “I do think I want to change how budget is done this year so that could look at little bit different but that is more on the internal side.
"Yes, budget is kind of the big thing that is probably going to start for me at the end of July, and take about four months of work to get the budget completed and ready to present to council.”
