The Chief Administrative Officer is appointed by Council to lead the
staff and administers the policies of Saddle Hills County. She is complimented
by a senior management team which consists of the Director of Corporate
Services, Director of Public Works and Engineering, Chief Assessor, Manager
of Planning and IT, Regional Fire / Disaster Services Manager, and the
Manager of Rural Development.
Dianne Nellis, Chief Administrative Officer, has returned to her roots in Saddle Hills County. Ms. Nellis was raised on a farm in the Bonanza area. She has closely followed the municipality’s progression from being an Improvement District to the County that it is today – setting its own autonomy and direction.
Ms. Nellis assumed responsibilities as CAO of Saddle Hills County Oct. 1st, 2009. She comes to Saddle Hills from the County of Grande Prairie where she gained 23 years of municipal experience, 13 of which have been in Administration and Legislative Services including one year as Acting CAO. Ms. Nellis’ career also includes 9 years in legal services in corporate and conveyance law. She has her Certificate in Local Government Administration from the University of Alberta and has just recently completed her Certificate in Municipal Management and Leadership, also from the University of Alberta.
As Chief Administrative Officer, Ms. Nellis provides leadership and direction for the senior management team to accomplish the plans and implement the policies established by Council. Ms. Nellis is committed to the delivery of effective, efficient municipal services to County ratepayers and encourages anyone to contact her to discuss any concerns they have or ideas for continued growth of the municipality.
Saddle Hills County welcomes Jason Jagodich to the position of
Director of Engineering and Public Works. “I am excited
to be in Peace Country and am looking forward to meeting everyone
in the community. Prior to joining Saddle Hills County I was working
as a consulting engineer mainly involved in the design of roads,
retaining walls, ponds, and foundations for the resource industry.
I also spent time with the construction, water / wastewater and waste
management departments of the City of Hamilton.
I began my education at the University of Waterloo where I studied Engineering
and am currently enrolled in the Masters of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
program at the Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech).
On a personal level I have 2 horses, 2 cats, a dog and a wonderful fiancée
named Janelle. I look forward to enjoying all that this beautiful county
has to offer and will work to maintain and/or improve our local infrastructure.
I am very approachable, so please feel free to come by and introduce
yourself.”
As Manager of Rural Development, Brian is responsible for coordinating
and running all County agricultural programs, including:
Ditch Brushing
Ditch Mowing
Ditch and drainage ditch spraying
Noxious weed control
Seed cleaning plant inspection and licensing
Farm safety
ASB breakfasts and BBQ’s
ASB Rental equipment
In addition, as the Agricultural Fieldman for Saddle Hills County, Brian
is responsible for enforcing the Agricultural Service Board Act, the
Alberta Weed Control Act, the Agricultural Pests Act and the Soil Conservation
Act. He enjoys working with producers to help them tackle problems like
crop disease and weeds. All ratepayers are welcome to stop by and voice
their concerns.
Ms. Jackson grew up in the farming community of Fourth Creek and graduated
at Savanna School. After completing an administrative support program
from the Grande Prairie Regional College she began her career with various
Provincial Government departments including the Alberta Treasury Branch,
Public Lands, and Alberta Agriculture.
Ms. Jackson has been with Saddle Hills County, formerly known as the
Improvement District, since 1991. During her employment with the County
she has achieved a Certificate in Local Government in Municipal Administration
as well as the Applied Land Use Planning Certificate, both from the University
of Alberta - Faculty of Extension. Laurie began working in the municipality’s
finance and administration department and chose to further her skills
by taking on the role of development services coordinator. In 2006 she
accepted the challenging position of Manager of Planning & IT Services
where she supervises the planning department and manages the information
technology systems within the County.
Mr. Ballard began his Emergency Services career in 1984 as a volunteer
firefighter in Whitecourt, Alberta and by 1991 he became the first full
time deputy fire chief for the town.
Mr. Ballard joined Saddle Hills County
in 2000 as Regional Fire / Disaster Services Manager.
Through courses at the Alberta Fire Training School and other institutions
he achieved international certification as a firefighter, fire officer,
fire investigator and fire service instructor. He also received Emergency
Management training from the Alberta Disaster Service Training School
and the Canadian Emergency Preparedness College.
Brian is responsible for Emergency Preparedness (Disaster Services)
Planning as well as the administration, budgeting, maintenance, training
and equipment requirements of the Saddle Hills County Fire Departments
and Medical Co-Responders. These services are also provided under contract
to three other municipalities in the Central Peace.
Dean Cooper, Chief Assessor for Saddle Hills County, has been promoted from Assessor upon the retirement of Gordon Hardy. Dean has worked with Saddle Hills County Assessment Department for the past 1 ½ years, but comes with extensive municipal experience. Dean was employed as Municipal Services Supervisor with Birch Hills County for 13 years prior to coming to Saddle Hills County.
This is Dean’s second tour of duty with Saddle Hills County, though. He was employed as Agricultural Fieldman from 1989 -1991 when the municipality was Improvement District #20. From I.D. 20, Dean took on the duties of Assessor with Alberta Municipal Affairs, stationed in Peace River.
Dean is a graduate of Olds College Faculty of Agriculture, majoring in soil sciences and he received Accreditation as Municipal Assessor of Alberta in 1998.
Faye joined the Saddle Hills team in April, 2008 as Director of Corporate Services and is responsible for directing the overall planning, coordination and control of activities and business affairs of the Corporate Services Department, ensuring that bylaws, policies and procedures are complied with.
She has numerous years of municipal experience in the Peace River Country as well as a farming background. She holds a Certificate in Local Government from the University of Alberta and a National Advanced Certificate in Local Authority Administration, Level ll from Dalhousie University.
