Shannon Harrower begins as Town of Vermilion CAO

Image: LinkedIn. 

After roughly 11 months with the position unfilled, the Town of Vermilion has hired a new Chief Administrative Officer.

Shannon Harrower began as Vermilion’s CAO on Monday, April 7. 

“I am honored to serve as CAO for the Town of Vermilion. This is a vibrant community that I am happy to call home with my husband and two children,” Harrower said in a press release. 

Harrower has been working just 20 minutes away as the Village of Marwayne’s CAO for the past five years. Before that, she worked as an executive assistant for the County of Vermilion River.

“I am excited and look forward to working closely with Council, staff, and residents to build on Vermilion’s strong foundation. My immediate focus will be directed towards strengthening our relationships with our regional partners, ensuring fiscal sustainability, improving communication, and implementing new approaches to the access of municipal information as a means of ensuring openness and transparency with our residents.”

The appointment was officially endorsed by Council during their April 2 meeting. 

This follows the resignation of Kevin Lucas in May 2024, who left and took the CAO job in Smoky Lake County.

With the removal of Mayor Greg Throndson at that time, the Town had effectively been without a Mayor or solidified boss for Town staff.

“We are looking forward to having Shannon on board and her years of CAO experience. Her wealth of knowledge will be extremely valuable to the Town of Vermilion, and we can’t say enough good things about her,” said Deputy Mayor Joshua Rayment. 

Mrs. Harrower has a distinguished background having obtained her bachelor’s degree from Queen’s University, National Advanced Certificates in Local Authority Administration and Applied Land Use Planning Certificate from the University of Alberta, and her Certified Local Government Manager Designation from the Society of Local Government Managers (SLGM).