Orchard Becomes CAMA National President; 2025-26 Board of Directors Ratified

Mont Tremblant, QC (May 27, 2025) – Brenda Orchard, Chief Administrative Officer for the County of Lennox & Addington, ON, and the CAMA Representative for Ontario, has become President of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA).

She moved into the role from her previous position of CAMA First Vice-President during the association’s annual general meeting held in Mont Tremblant, QC on May 27, 2025.  Orchard follows Tony Kulbisky, Chief Administrative Officer for Westlock County, AB, who becomes CAMA’s Past President.

During the AGM, the association’s membership also ratified its 2025-26 Board of Directors, welcoming Troy Fleming, City Manager for the City of Fort Saskatchewan, AB as the new CAMA Representative for Alberta, and Shawna LeBlanc, CAO, Rural Municipality of Elton, MB as the new rep for Manitoba & Saskatchewan.

“One of the greatest privileges of my career has been serving on the CAMA Board. As an Association we work hard to promote excellence in our profession and to support our colleagues in their challenging roles,” said Orchard. “It is a rewarding experience to work alongside such passionate and committed leaders from across the country to help make our communities vibrant and strong.”

Orchard has 25 years of experience in senior municipal administration and 16 years as a CAO.  She has worked with Municipal Councils in three different provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Ontario) and in both urban and rural settings. She has served as a CAO in Nova Scotia (Annapolis County), as well as Southwestern and Eastern Ontario (Huron County and currently Lennox and Addington County), and in single-tier and upper-tier structures.

She has a municipal background in Economic Development, having been a member of the Economic Developers Association of Canada (EDAC) for the past 25 years. Her passion now lies in employee engagement and staff development. She is dedicated to the growth and development of staff; believing that the success of our communities is predicated on high functioning staff teams that can work with Councils to realize a community’s full potential.

Orchard has served on many Committees in her seven years on the Board, but the CAMA Toolkit Committee has been a particular passion.  She has worked on several resource documents to assist CAOs in navigating professional relationships with Councils and staff.

She has been a member of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators for 16 years, most recently serving as First Vice President. She is also a past member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).

In addition to Tony Kulbisky completing his term as President and CAMA Representative for Alberta, the Board also bid farewell to Nathan Peto, who recently stepped down as City Manager for the City of Portage la Prairie, MB, and as CAMA Representative for Manitoba & Saskatchewan to pursue a new opportunity outside local government. Deepest thanks were extended to Bev Hendry, CAMA Past President, who concluded an incredible eight years of service on the Board.

The complete 2025-2026 CAMA Board of Directors is as follows:

• Brenda Orchard, President, CAMA Representative for Ontario / Chief Administrative Officer County of Lennox & Addington, ON
• Marc Melanson, First Vice-President, CAMA Representative for New Brunswick / City Manager, City of Dieppe, NB
• Gary Kent, Second Vice-President, CAMA Member-At-Large for a Municipality with a Population Over 100,000 / Chief Administrative Officer, Region of Peel, ON
• Raffaelle Di Stasio, Treasurer, CAMA Representative for Québec / City Manager, Town of Montreal West, QC
• Tony Kulbisky, Past President / Chief Administrative Officer, Westlock County, AB
• Lisa Niblock, CAMA Board Member for Newfoundland and Labrador / Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Paradise, NL.
• Jeff Gushue, CAMA Representative for Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island / Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Yarmouth, NS
• Yves Leger, CAMA Member-At-Large for a Municipality with a Population Under 100,000 / Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Shediac, NB
• Evan Parliament, CAMA Representative for British Columbia and Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Revelstoke, BC
• Tracy Thomas, CAMA Representative for Northwest Territories, Yukon Territory & Nunavut and Senior Administrative Officer for the Town of Fort Smith, NT
• Shawna LeBlanc, CAMA Representative for Manitoba and Saskatchewan, CAO, Rural Municipality of Elton, MB
• Troy Fleming, CAMA Representative for Alberta, City Manager, City of Fort Saskatchewan, AB