Michelle White has been hired as the Village Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the Village of Alix effective Oct. 10, 2017.
White, who has been the CAO of the Village of Big Valley for the past five years was recently offered the opportunity to serve the council and residents of the Village of Alix as their CAO.
With the support of the council of Big Valley, White will be serving both villages, dividing her time between the two municipalities.
She will spend two days a week in Big Valley and three days a week in Alix.
According to Big Valley Mayor Ken Asaph Johnson, Big Valley council is fully behind Ms. White’s decision and is happy for her to have this opportunity to utilize her abilities.
“We believe Michelle is capable of handling both villages,” says Johnson. “She has our administration running so well, she can trust things here to her assistant.”
Dividing the CAO position between the two municipalities will be cost effective for both villages, saving each some money, as neither will be paying for a full time CAO.
Mayor of Alix, Arlene Nelson advised in a press release, “[Alix]Council feels that her education, experience and skills will be an asset in guiding and leading the organization”.
Her 18 years’ experience as a Village CAO in Alberta will help her guide Alix in the years to come.
She also holds Certificates from the University of Alberta in Local Authority Administration and Land Use Planning.
Michelle is a strong advocate of local government and is the current president of the Local Government Administrators Association of Alberta and has served on its Board for two terms, concluded the press release.
According to White, she has learned from her experiences in Big Valley and looks forward to continuing to serving the council and residents in the years to come.
She is grateful to both the Big Valley council for supporting her decision and the Alix council for choosing her as their CAO.
“This is an exciting opportunity for two central Alberta villages to learn from one another,” stated White, “as well as grow and prosper in a cost efficient way.”
Linda Stillinger,
ECA Review Reporter
