Sandra Zwiers Named New CAO for the County of Essex

Essex County Council is pleased to announce that Sandra Zwiers has been named Chief Administrative Officer for the County of Essex.

Zwiers has extensive expertise in municipal finance, stepping into the CAO’s office after more than five years as Essex County’s Director, Financial Services/Treasurer.

“Sandra has done a stellar job as leader of our Financial Services team,” said Warden Hilda MacDonald. “We are fortunate to have someone of her calibre in-house to take over as CAO. Not only does she have deep knowledge and understanding of Essex County’s finances and how municipal government works, she is a team player who mentors, encourages and inspires her staff.”

Zwiers joined the County of Essex in January 2018 after 14 years as director of financial services for the Town of Kingsville. At the county, she has overseen all areas of finance – including procurement, payroll and benefits, accounting, budgeting, and risk management and insurance – as well as information technology and GIS.

Zwiers is a chartered accountant. She completed her master of accounting at the University of Waterloo and worked at an accounting firm for seven years prior to being hired by the Town of Kingsville. She is a native of Essex County and a big booster of the region’s economic strengths and amenities.

Zwiers has been a key member of the senior leadership team, representing Essex County at high-level meetings with provincial and federal governments and in partnerships with other municipalities. She is also a leader in the municipal finance field. She is currently board president for the Municipal Finance Officers’ Association of Ontario and vice-chair of the audit committee for ONE Investment, which serves Ontario municipalities.

“I am honoured by this vote of confidence by Essex County Council and excited to take on the position of CAO,” Zwiers said. “I am passionate about what we do and feel blessed to be working with such a great group of people. We are on the precipice of unprecedented growth in the County of Essex, which will require the highest level of efficiency, collaboration and nimbleness from our leadership team and staff. I know we are up for the challenge.”

Zwiers was chosen after an extensive and competitive process was conducted to hire a new CAO. She is taking over from Interim CAO Mary Birch, with the transition beginning immediately.