“The Board of the Kemptville Campus is thrilled to make this announcement,” said Board Chair Brian McKee. “Annie Hillis has the positive energy, inspiring vision and vast professional experience we need to lead the Kemptville Campus into the next exciting phase of our development.”
Annie Hillis has worked across Canada for over 25 years on a wide range of adaptive reuse, urban infrastructure and creative placemaking projects. She began her career at The Banff Centre for the Arts, where she spent 5 years. Subsequently, she has worked with non-profit and private developers on heritage redevelopments (Toronto’s Wychwood Barns), shared space initiatives (Toronto’s Centre for Social Innovation), community hubs (Val-David’s Centre Culturel Lézarts Loco), mixed-use buildings (Ottawa’s Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre), and more.
“The Kemptville Campus is a key asset for our community,” said North Grenville Mayor Nancy Peckford. “However, I believe that it has the potential to become much more valuable in the years to come. I know that the Campus’s new Executive Director shares that vision and I look forward to working closely with Ms. Hillis to help bring it to life, so that the Kemptville Campus becomes a truly dynamic and thriving community hub.”
After moving to Ottawa in 2006, Ms. Hillis became the founding Executive Director of the award-winning Wellington West Business Improvement Area. She has also managed national public art projects, including integrated artwork for the City of Ottawa’s Confederation Line LRT, and the Canadian Building Trades Monument, which received an Ottawa Urban Design Award in 2017. Annie joins the Kemptville Campus from the Canadian Paramedic Memorial Foundation, where she has been developing the Canadian Paramedic Monument.
Annie has served on many boards, including Somerset West Community Health Centre (Chair), Shaw Centre (Ottawa), and, after moving to Burritt’s Rapids in 2021, the Kemptville Campus for two years.
“I first visited the Kemptville Campus for the inaugural Rural Summit in 2018,” recalls the new Executive Director. “At that time, I was deeply impressed by the site’s history and potential, as well as by the integrity and passion of the farmers and local business people I met. Now I can’t wait to explore every opportunity to make the Kemptville Campus as useful, as welcoming, and as delightful a place as possible for this community.”
Reporting to the Kemptville Campus Board of Directors, Ms. Hillis will lead the development of business, strategic, operational, educational, funding, and communication plans for the Campus. Her priorities will be to strengthen tenant and community relations, to develop inspiring programming and impactful partnerships, to renew the building stock and enrich the environment on campus, and to ensure financial growth and sustainability.
Kemptville Campus Education and Community Centre is an educational and multi-use facility serving the community of North Grenville and surrounding area. The Campus includes 630 acres and 17 main buildings, as well as woodlands, cropland, wetland, greenspace, green houses, an agroforestry centre and maple bush, trails, and other buildings - sports facilities, residence, and catering facilities. www.kemptvillecampus.ca
For media inquiries, please contact:
Marta Zwart
Marketing and Events Coordinator
mzwart@kemptvillecampus.ca