The top municipal administrator of Canada’s sixth largest city received a big honour when it comes to her line of work.

Janice Baker, B.Comm.(Co-op.)’79, city manager and chief administrative officer (CAO) for the City of Mississauga, Ont., is the recipient of a long service pin from the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators, a national non-profit association.

Ms. Baker is celebrating more than 25 years of working in the municipal sector in the country.

A native of Trinity, Bonavista Bay, Ms. Baker calls the honour “a significant milestone."

“I guess it made me reflect back on the stages of my municipal career with some satisfaction,” she said. “It is always nice to be acknowledged by your peers.”

Ms. Baker has an extensive career in municipal administration. After graduating from Memorial, she became a chartered accountant in 1982. She worked for a local company in St. John’s before joining the City of St. John’s as a manager in its finance department.

“I worked with the city for almost eight years and found working in the sector very rewarding,” she noted. “My husband [Keith, also a Memorial graduate] and I moved to Ontario in 1995. After working with the City of Oshawa for just over four years, I was asked to join the team at the City of Mississauga in 1999 as commissioner of corporate services. I was promoted to city manager and CAO in 2005.”

With a population of more than 750,000, Mississauga is a thriving urban centre on the shores of Lake Ontario. More than 60 of the Fortune 500 companies have their Canadian or global head offices within its municipal boundaries. Ms. Baker is quick to point out that building a prosperous city is one of the most rewarding parts of her job.

“Mississauga is growing and evolving,” she said. “Working with the community and council to develop strategy and policies to ensure a strong economy, a great quality of life, a safe and inclusive community where residents and business can thrive, is very rewarding. I also get to work with an amazing team of diverse professionals and staff every day.”

Memorial’s Faculty of Business Administration, Ms. Baker contends, helped provide her with “a very solid foundation” for her future career and success.

“Memorial is a very highly regarded university and when I tell people that’s where I did my undergrad, they are always impressed.”