Director of People and Culture Hired by Region of Queens Municipality

May 13, 2025; Liverpool, NS: Region of Queens Municipality has hired a Director of People and Culture. Holly McConnell will join the Municipality on May 26, 2025, in the newly established human resources position.
“Holly’s experience in leading workplace teams through periods of transition was recognized as a significant asset in the recruitment process, and she is someone with a genuine warmth and caring for the well-being of staff,” said Dan McDougall, Interim Chief Administrative Officer at Region of Queens Municipality. “Her background of 16 years in corporate human resources management has given her significant experience and skill in employee relations and workforce engagement.”

With nearly 130 full time and part time employees, recently, it was identified that employee engagement and retention would benefit from a full-time human resources position, a new position for Region of Queens Municipality. The Municipality has employees in a number of different worksites providing services and programs, with union and nonunion positions. Among the worksites and varied responsibility areas include the Municipal Administration Building, Department of Infrastructure’s Public Works sites, South Queens Water Treatment Facility, Queens Place Emera Centre, and Hillsview Acres Home for Special Care.

“The position is called Director of People and Culture to reflect our administration and Council’s commitment to an uplifting work environment that embodies inclusion, safety, and mutual respect,” said McDougall. “Holly is proficient in these areas, and will focus on strengthening employee engagement by way of leadership development, human resource planning, and recruitment and retention plans.”

McConnell was born in Liverpool, and has spent most of her life in Queens County. Her related experience includes 16 years of senior leadership and management roles in human resources positions. She is a graduate of the Institute of Professional Management (IPM) and has a Canadian Management Professional (CMP) designation.

“I am very much looking forward to beginning this new Director of People & Culture role with the Region of Queens Municipality and am proud of my ability to partner with people offering support to assist with individual, departmental and organizational goals. My specialty is employee relations; I derive great satisfaction helping people successfully grow in their roles and always work towards those ‘win-win-win’ situations to help drive a positive work culture,” said McConnell.