Mayor Scott Gillingham is proud to announce the nomination of Joseph Dunford as the next Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the City of Winnipeg.
“Joe brings the kind of experience and energy we need to lead the public service at a time of real growth and change in our city,” said Gillingham. “He has a deep understanding of infrastructure, service delivery, and the inner workings of government. Just as importantly, he’s shown he can lead large teams, manage big budgets, and drive results that improve people’s lives.”
Dunford currently serves as Deputy Minister of Public Service Delivery for the Government of Manitoba. He is a professional engineer with more than two decades of experience in the public and quasi-public sectors, with senior leadership roles in Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. His responsibilities have included oversight of capital planning, infrastructure, IT, procurement, and frontline services.
He has led major transformation efforts, introduced Lean Six Sigma approaches across departments, and managed some of Canada’s largest infrastructure projects, including a $5-billion hospital P3 in Halifax and large-scale capital investments in transportation and healthcare across multiple provinces.
Dunford’s nomination was confirmed by Executive Policy Committee this morning. Subject to Council approval at a vote on June 26, 2025, Dunford will officially begin his role on August 4, 2025.
Gillingham thanked the members of the selection committee – Councillors Devi Sharma, Jeff Browaty, Ross Eadie, and Janice Lukes – for their thoughtful and diligent work throughout the search process.
“I also want to thank Sherwood Armbruster for stepping up to serve as Interim CAO over the past year,” said Gillingham. “His steady leadership has been greatly appreciated.”