CARD will soon get a new general manager
CHICO » Chico Area Recreation and Park District general manager Ann Willmann has announced she will be stepping down from her position after more than six years in the position. Her successor, Annabel Grimm, will take over Nov. 1.
Willmann has previously served as general manager from 2013 to 2015 of Feather River Recreation and Park District in Oroville and from 2006 to 2013 as the Senior Recreation Supervisor of CARD.
Her role as CARD general manager began in 2015 following the retirement of 15 year general manager General Manager Steve Visconti.
CARD projects completed during Willmann’s time as general manager include the completion of DeGarmo Park, Lathrop Park, a renovated Humboldt Avenue Skatepark and completion of the Creekside Rose Garden — a project Willmann notes as a highlight of her tenure.
“It’s beautiful,” Willmann said of the garden. “I had an opportunity to work with an amazing woman, Marilyn Warrens, who was the reason that the Rose Garden was built. She and I became friends after the construction of the Rose Garden and I feel quite honestly now I’m a little bit better because I got to know her.”
Willman’s decision to depart from CARD comes following a stage 4 cancer diagnosis, one she said she learned about in October 2020.
“I made a lifestyle choice, and I decided that I was not going to spend the rest of my life working,” Willmann said. “I was going to enjoy some retirement years in the time that I have left which I have no idea how much time that will be — it could be 20 years or it could be four.”
Willmann said although she’s departing from the role, she’s happy with all she was able to accomplish dur
ing her tenure as general manager. She went on to say the team of CARD is also to thank for the success experienced in recent years, noting three employees this year are celebrating their 20th year at the department.
“I think what I find extraordinary about the people who work here and put the programming on and make things happen, is their love for the community and their desire to create something that everybody can participate in,” Willmann said. “There is a strong passion for community service among our staff. There are other jobs that they could go get that would pay them more and be easier but they choose to stay here.”
When it came to choosing Willmann's successor, the CARD board of directors made the final decision after Grimm went through what Willmann called a “rigorous interview process.”
“There was an overwhelming sense of an engagement that the staff really noticed about Annabel and they were excited that she has a tremendous amount of experience in multiple different areas,” Willmann said. “She's also extremely personable and relatable and really seems to care about her staff, not just as workers but as people.”
Grimm who moved to Chico in 2006 said when she first arrived, she didn't know this was where she would plan to spend the rest of her life. However that quickly changed she said. Now for the last eight years, Grimm has worked at Chico State most recently as the Division of Business and Finance Director. Grimm said when the position at CARD opened, she couldn't resist applying.
“When this opportunity presented itself, I was reading the position announcement and the world that is CARD and what they do and provide to the community, it was like, ‘I'm really kind of digging this job,'” Grimm said. “From the very first interview I felt this incredible positive vibe from the management staff and I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, I'm in love with this place.' And that's kind of how I committed.”
“I love so many things about CARD. There's something very special about them,” Grimm said. “There are so many things that I feel really align with my personality and my skill set. The passion of the people and their desire to serve the community, that is unlike anything I've ever felt.”
Grimm, who has a background in business operations including a master's degree in the field, said she's run management operations for a wide variety from manufacturing, to airplanes and government contracts. She's now looking forward to expanding the list to include the park district.
“The community really loves CARD and is grateful for the work that they do and certainly appreciates that,” Grimm said. “I'm looking forward to continuing to provide that level of service, finding ways to innovate and offer more services to meet the needs and the wants of the community, really being able to make a direct impact in the community that I love so much.”