A senior staffer who helped launch the city into social media relevancy is resigning.
Jennifer Ruff, Orillia’s director of business development and communications, will end her time with the municipality Dec. 1.
The resignation was announced during this week’s council committee meeting.
Ruff will be moving back to her hometown of Ottawa with her husband and two children. She said the move is “for personal reasons” and an opportunity to be closer to family.
“The pandemic has made a lot of people, myself included, rethink our priorities and where we need to be,” she said.
Before entering the business of communications, Ruff worked as a reporter in Ottawa and then was hired by Orillia’s former daily newspaper, the Packet & Times, in 2010.
After about a year of reporting local news, she joined the County of Simcoe as a communications co-ordinator.
That career switch then led her to the City of Orillia, where she became its first manager of communications.
Her role evolved over the years and saw her become the head of the corporate communications and tourism division.
On March 16, 2020, she was promoted to director of business development and communications.
“I’ve had so many great opportunities to grow professionally with the City of Orillia,” Ruff said. “When given a new opportunity to lean in and take on new challenges, I always said yes.”
It certainly was a challenge. A day after her promotion to her current position, the province declared a state of emergency because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A day after that, the city did the same.
Her role saw her take on the responsibility of emergency communications. Early in the pandemic, she was taking part in emergency management committee meetings seven days a week.
“It was an amazing team to be a part of and I feel really great about how we’ve been able to help the community and the municipality navigate through this pandemic,” she said.
In addition to prioritizing the city’s social media presence, Ruff worked with colleagues to keep the spotlight on supporting the community during the pandemic.
“I am proud to have been leading such a great department of dedicated staff who, throughout the pandemic, have risen to the challenge and kept our community well informed at every turn, and supported our local economy with innovative programs such as See You on the Patio, Orillia Foodies Unite! and the Shop Local campaign,” she said of the initiatives of the economic recovery task force.
She has also led communications efforts for some major projects in town, including the construction of the Orillia Recreation Centre, the sale of the Orillia Power Distribution Corporation to Hydro One, and the waterfront redevelopment project, which is still underway.
Moving on from the city is “bittersweet” for Ruff.
“It’s a lot of mixed emotions. Leaving the career I love is difficult,” she said, but added it will be nice to be closer to family. “Orillia will always have a special place in my heart.”
She looks forward to returning to Orillia to visit and said she couldn’t “speak highly enough” about her time with the city.
“The leadership provided by (CAO) Gayle Jackson as my boss and mentor has been fantastic,” she said.
During this week’s meeting, council committee voted to establish a panel to interview and recommend to council the hiring of a director of business development, culture and tourism. The panel will consist of Jackson, human resources director Lori Bolton, Mayor Steve Clarke and councillors Ralph Cipolla and Ted Emond.
The city is in the process of looking into moving the communications and marketing functions of the business development, culture and tourism department to the CAO’s office.
Council members praised Ruff for her work during her time with the municipality.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to work with her for two years,” said Coun. Jay Fallis, who referred to Ruff as “the social media guru of Orillia.”
Coun. Mason Ainsworth thanked Ruff for her efforts.
“I’ve really appreciated working with you in all of your different roles in the city,” he said.
The city plans to conduct interviews for the new job between Nov. 29 and Dec. 13, with the goal of having someone hired in January.
