Debbi Miller, Frontenac County Community Development Officer

Jeff Green | Feb 16, 2022

Debbi Miller started working at Frontenac County in December. She was hired to take over as the community development officer in the tiny, two-person, Frontenac County Economic Development department.

Taking a community development role when the community is basically shut down has been a challenge during her first two months on the job, but she is undaunted. It might actually be helpful that her job, and the work of the department itself, is in flux.

In the first few months of 2021, a consultant’s report that recommended major changes for the department was accepted by Frontenac County Council. Through the report, the department has recognized that they need to not duplicate work partners are doing, such as Frontenac Business Services. Instead County staff are shifting their focus to investment attraction and providing support regionally. They continue to support businesses, by making connections for them to the appropriate resources. They are also working to be more collaborative with the Frontenac townships, who are developing their own economic development capacity.

Also in the spring of 2021, the department began working with a consulting group on a Destination Development Plan for Frontenac County.

Now, two months into her new role, most of the time working from her home in Kingston, Debbi Miller said “‘We have a handle on the direction we are going, we are working hard to figure out the details.”

One aspect of her job is to help develop a role for Frontenac County to coordinate tourism promotion in partnership with the two regional tourism organisations that cover different parts of Frontenac County, as well as staff members in the four townships whose roles are evolving as well.

The results of the Destination Development project that will be completed later this spring, will have an impact on that work as well, as will getting out to see more of what Frontenac County has to offer for visitors and residents.

I went out with Richard [Frontenac County Manager for Economic Development Richard Allen] during my first week on the job to visit around the county, just before things closed down, and I have been out on weekends since then, and I am looking forward to things opening up. I think with any new role it takes a bit of time, oftentimes it takes one cycle though the calendar, even the four seasons from a tourism perspective, to get a real sense of what the possibilities are,” she said, in an interview in early February.

One project that she has already undertaken is what she calls a “trail activation program” that is focused not only on the county owned K&P trail, but other trails in Frontenac County as well. It involves working with businesses located near the trail system to encourage trail users to visit their locations. This will be done through way-finding signage and promotional incentives to encourage users to take advantage of what the businesses have to offer.

She brings a broad skill-set to her new role. After growing up in Barrie, and 20 years working in Huntsville, with about 7 for the Town of Huntsville as the Manager of Marketing.in the marketing and communications department. Not only did that timeframe overlap with the time when the current Chief Administrator (CAO) for Frontenac County, Kelly Pender, was the CAO in Huntsville, it also resulted her service as the communications lead for Huntsville during The 2010 G8 World Summit, that was held at Deerhurst Resort with other events taking place in and around Huntsville.

Handling the communications role in a town of 20,000 that was thrust into the global spotlight and had to deal with unprecedented demands on its small-town infrastructure was a major challenge. While in Huntsville, she also took on a very different role as chair of the Friends of Algonquin Park for 5 years. 8 years ago, she moved to Kingston to take a role as a communications officer with the City of Kingston.

“My husband works in health and safety and can be located anywhere in Ontario, and we decided to move to Kingston. Two years after starting with the City of Kingston, she was promoted to the role of manager of communications and public engagement.

In that role, she worked to support the development of the public engagement framework and then was responsible for its implementation plan. The implementation plan involved collaboration across all city departments, with residents and Council.

Coming to Frontenac County, to the Economic Development department, is certainly a change for Debbi Miller.

“I have admired the work that Frontenac County has been doing with economic development and branding, the way the business community has been engaged,” she said, “so when I saw there was an opportunity here I went for it.”

Even though it meant leaving a management role in a larger municipality, she said that for her it is mainly about job satisfaction and the impact of her work in the community where she is working

“I feel like I’ve climbed the corporate ladder, I did those pieces. For me, a job has really become about what you are giving to the community and what you are getting back. I’ll put everything into a job, and I want the community to benefit.”

She also wants her job to compliment her active lifestyle and her passion for abstract painting, which includes working on larger pieces in her garage/studio.

As things open up in the coming months, she will be spending more time out and about in Frontenac County, for work and leisure.

“I'm always looking for interesting things to do. While I was working in the City, I was always the one in the office who was telling people what new restaurants they should try, Perhaps – ……what hidden gems they needed to explore or events were taking place. I look forward to continuing to explore Frontenac County. I look forward to exploring Frontenac County in that way.”