City announces new leadership for Community Development and Corporate Services departments

Kate Zanon	Angie Parnell	Suzanne Smith

City Manager Anna Mathewson is pleased to announce that Kate Zanon has been appointed to the dual role of Deputy City Manager and General Manager of Corporate Services, effective February 1, 2025, and that Suzanne Smith has taken on the role of General Manager of Community Development, effective February 18, 2025. 

Zanon, who was previously the City’s General Manager of Community Development, will be responsible for communications and engagement, human resources, legislative services, and strategic initiatives. In addition to her role as General Manager of Corporate Services, Zanon will serve as the new Deputy City Manager. In this capacity, she will assist the City Manager’s Office in supporting Council and staff, and in implementing Council’s strategic priorities. 

Zanon will also provide executive leadership on cross-organizational issues and service delivery priorities, including accessibility, employee engagement, customer service, and continuous improvement. In the area of non-first-responder emergency operations, Zanon will lead activities as the appointed director of the City’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), when activated. An EOC is a central hub for coordinating response and recovery efforts during and after an emergency. 

Zanon’s appointment as General Manager of Corporate Services follows the retirement of Angie Parnell, who retired on January 31, 2025, in her thirty-third year of service with the City of Port Moody. Over the years, Parnell has led all human resources, communications and engagement, legislative services, and corporate planning functions. 

Suzanne Smith, in her role as General Manager of Community Development, will have responsibility for all land use planning and development activities, economic development including business licensing, buildings, and bylaw enforcement, policy planning, and sustainability and climate action. 

Smith has worked in local government and land use planning for more than 24 years. Prior to joining the City of Port Moody, she worked as manager of development (west) at the City of Richmond, overseeing the delivery of complex development applications and process improvements. Smith has also worked at the City of North Vancouver in the Planning and Development Department and the Engineering, Parks, and Environment Department across a range of issue areas, from establishing wharf regulations and streamside protection to sustainability and climate action policy, heritage planning, and official community plans. 

“I would like to congratulate Kate Zanon on her new roles within the organization, and welcome Suzanne Smith to the City of Port Moody,” says Mathewson. “Their expertise, experience, and leadership skills will help us meet the diverse needs of our residents and achieve Council’s strategic goals. And I would like to take this opportunity to thank Angie Parnell for her many years of exceptional service. The organization and the community have benefitted greatly from Angie’s strong leadership, integrity, and commitment to service excellence.”