After 20 years of dedicated service, Ana Fuller, LGMA Senior Program Manager, is retiring, leaving behind an incredible legacy of leadership, innovation, and impact. Over the years, she has organized 20 annual conferences, led the association as the Deputy Executive Director, and navigated through multiple transitions. Ana’s commitment and passion have shaped the LGMA in ways that will be felt for years to come.

As we celebrate her remarkable career, we asked her some questions about her journey, lessons learned, and what comes next. Join us in honoring Ana’s incredible work and wishing them the very best in retirement.

Q: Can you talk about your background and what drew you to the LGMA originally?

A: I sort of fell into my work with LGMA. A degree in Economics led me to the BC Ministry of Finance as a team lead for revenue operations. I later transitioned from taxation to recreation as Manager of Administrative Services for the District of Oak Bay Parks and Rec, where I enjoyed the focus on patrons and directly seeing the results of our work. After my second child, I shifted to part-time, supporting different Oak Bay Council committees and got to know Tom MacDonald, who later became LGMA’s Executive Director.

I joined LGMA as a contractor, initially supporting the Community Charter "road show" and later MATI Foundations, thinking it would be relatively short-term work before returning to government. It was an exciting time as LGMA transitioned from a volunteer-run to a staff-managed organization, standardizing delivery and optimizing volunteer time and efforts. Tom’s can-do, solutions-focused attitude created an environment of innovation, which allowed me to employ my love of operations and administration. Plus, there was very much an ethos of customer service, which resonated with me. 

Q: What were some key professional milestones of your time here?

A: I’ve been lucky to have been involved in quite a number of interesting projects and meeting really engaging people. Technical training and best practices shared by members are core to our programs, but I’ve felt that inspiring keynote stories add a meaningful dimension to LGMA conferences. 

I remember how deeply Stephen Lewis, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, impacted everyone in the room. His suggestion that local government skills be applied to global challenges led the LGMA Board to want to explore how we could help, and through FCM, we were connected to the Association of Local Authorities of Tanzania (ALAT). I was fortunate to be part of the LGMA team collaborating with ALAT to build local government capacity in Tanzania through new training to be offered by their Association. Strengthened by regular Skype calls and reciprocal visits, this was a very rewarding experience in relationship building. 

I’ve also really looked forward to the pre-event calls with keynote speakers. Intended to offer context and help align the speaker’s talk to our event theme, our attendees and the issues they face, many of these calls with folks like Chris Hadfield, David Trimble, or Hayley Wickenheiser have been really interesting and I often walk away with a valuable nugget of insight or perspective that’s not always shared in the larger conference space. 

Q: Who were some of the biggest influences or mentors in your career?

A: There have been many! Early in my career at the Ministry of Finance, I was fortunate to have a Director who prioritized learning and development, and so in addition to training, I was asked to participate in several focus groups with more senior staff, despite being very new (or perhaps because of that). The message that stuck with me is the importance of diverse perspectives. Later, moving to local government and then to LGMA allowed me to connect more directly with those we served. I worked with leaders who “walked the talk,” emphasizing the importance of keeping in mind who we’re serving, no matter your role or task. 

Q: What gave you the greatest satisfaction in your role?

A: The people! I’ve been fortunate to come across so many innovative individuals and organizations working in a myriad of areas - things like sustainability, reconciliation, social issues, technology, and team building. I’ve never taken it for granted how willing folks in the local government community are to share their knowledge when asked! 

Helping to build long-term partnerships has been a highlight. We have many partner organizations that support our work and local government generally, offering financial support and valuable expertise. 

It seems so normal now, but transitioning the previously week-long, in-person annual MATI Foundations program to an online format during the pandemic was very rewarding. It was great to be able to provide training and a way for folks to connect, and it helped us better envision a fully virtual conference the following year. 

Participating in the recruitment of talented colleagues has been fantastic. When I started, we were a small but mighty team of 2.5 (I was .5), and we’ve grown to a dynamic team of 8!

Q: What has changed at the LGMA over your time here, and how do you think the LGMA will continue to evolve in the coming years?

A: It’s been fascinating to watch the evolution of programming needs. In addition to ever-important topics like emergency management or staff-elected relations, newer conversations around things like DEI and AI have gained momentum. And the pandemic really demonstrated the importance of skills like empathy, resilience, and adaptability, and so I think the renewed focus on those types of leadership competencies will continue. 

Volunteers, the backbone of the Association, have always been a priority, but we’ve increased efforts to highlight their contributions. The ‘100,000 Hours’ Centennial campaign showcased the impact of local government volunteers on the sector and communities. We’ve added a volunteer management portfolio to prioritize appreciation, looked for ways to share inspiring volunteer stories, and the Volunteer Service award and Volunteer Lunch are important annual offerings. Our team is intentional about supporting volunteers and making the best use of their skills and time. Alongside this, I know that the Association will look to engage future generations of leaders generally and strengthen learning and sharing opportunities for them.

How we do our work has also evolved. We had a very small staff complement when I started, and in a given day juggled many different tasks, but the addition of fantastic talent over the years has allowed us all to work to our strengths. At the same time, we’re still a relatively small team, so continuing to collaborate and strengthen partnerships is key. We've embraced new tech tools like updated websites and membership management systems and transformed our communications from fax to Zoom! Moving forward, I see LGMA continuing to innovate with technology and develop strategies for greater resilience and streamlined processes. 

Q: What are some of the fun memories you have of your time here? 

A: Working for an organization with over 100 years of history and being a part of the Centennial celebrations were very cool. Tree-planting photos sent in by members, the pop-up museum, and reconnecting with past LGMA Presidents at the 2019 conference were highlights. The President’s Transition ceremonies! Just 5 minutes out of three jam-packed days but involving things like sled dogs, a bathtub, the Queen and mounted police, and costumes, music, dry ice…pretty memorable. Other fun memories include the ‘McDonald Cup’ roof top golf tourney, filling colleagues’ offices to the brim with balloons or holiday paraphernalia, superhero capes, tropical ‘January blues’ lunches, and dad jokes on the boardroom whiteboard. Our staff Wednesday night dinners during Conference week were a favorite, taking time during a busy week to celebrate our team.  

Q: If you could give your younger self career advice, what would it be?

A: I guess some life lessons I learned I would share with “Younger Me” would be: 

• You can’t control everything that happens, but how you respond is up to you.      
• Embrace the uncertainty; not everything is black and white, and you’ll learn by challenging your thinking. 
• “Look for the helpers.” – Mister Rogers’ mom. There are always people who want to help and lift you up - seek them out. And get involved with LGMA!

Q: What’s next for you after retirement?

A: In the near future, I have a driving trip around Ireland, our annual Tofino camping, and my son’s wedding. Our vintage trailer (“Morrie”) needs some more adventures to keep spry, so maybe down the road a children’s book, Morrie the Boler Does Canada? I’m keen to do some volunteering for arts events (Vic Film Fest, JazzFest, Ska Fest – all the fests!) and would like to get back to dragon boating (a whiff of seaplane fuel in the Inner Harbour gets me all nostalgic). Other than that, who knows? Despite my penchant for planning, it's refreshing to think about not planning for a change.