To our AMCTO community:
I am writing to you today on behalf of the AMCTO Board of Directors to officially announce the retirement of long-time staff member and current Executive Director, Andy Koopmans.
While the Board will be beginning a robust recruitment process soon, we are fortunate to have Andy with us until the end of the year. We look forward to celebrating Andy later this Fall (stay tuned for details) and we will keep you informed on our recruitment efforts.
For those who don't know, Andy has been leading the organization as Executive Director since 2002. Throughout his tenure he has done an incredible job in furthering AMCTO’s mission, working with the staff to deliver exceptional service, expanding AMCTO’s program offerings, and growing the organization’s reputation as an association of and for Ontario municipal experts.
Prior to his time at AMCTO, Andy spent 12 years of his career in municipal government holding finance positions with various municipalities in both Northern and Southern Ontario including in the Towns of Fort Frances, Fort Erie and Halton Hills. As an AMCTO member, Andy played a key role in the development and delivery of training seminars addressing provincial property taxation and the assessment process. After taking a break from the municipal sector to work as an IT consultant and trainer for a few years, Andy officially came onboard at AMCTO in 2001 as Deputy Executive Director, to lead education and professional development programs in response to the sector’s ever-changing needs including technology practices.
“I am still consistently surprised by how much the sector has grown and changed, and on the increasing responsibilities of municipal professionals,” says Andy.
“Our members and others who work for the municipal government are all great people who work hard to support each other and their communities.”
Andy’s desire to give back through his work at AMCTO combined with his commitment to helping the association build positive, professional relationships with those in the sector, is what eventually brought him to visit members in almost every Ontario municipality and on trips around the world to work in collaboration with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
“I remember being in Namibia and it was my birthday but no one else on the trip knew (or so I thought) until I was greeted by a surprise singing of ‘happy birthday’ from an entire delegation of Namibians, Canadians and other international groups on the trip.”
The opportunity for more travelling (including spending more time in Colombia where he has a second home) is something Andy is looking forward to when it is safe again to do so. Community-based volunteer work, leading or consulting on projects, and gardening are also items on his retirement to-do list.
Through his leadership and dedication, Andy has successfully grown the association from a small core team, to a larger structure with increased budgets and greater flexibility to allow for better collaboration and overall organizational effectiveness. Andy has also contributed significantly to the many robust and valuable programs that AMCTO offers members, and has successfully advanced government relations and many advocacy initiatives along the way – setting the association up for continued growth and success.
“It has been an honour to serve our members these past 19 years,” says Andy.
“AMCTO has an incredible breadth of resources including many invaluable learning and networking opportunities that I hope members continue to take advantage of. The Board and staff team are some of the best individuals I’ve worked with and I know the organization is in good hands moving forward.”
While it is bittersweet to announce his retirement, on behalf of the entire Board and staff, we wish Andy all the best. AMCTO would not be where it is today without his vision and hard work.
Thank you Andy and congratulations!
Sincerely, |