After six years with Hillside Festival, Rachel Thompson has resigned.
Thompson was on maternity for the last year and has decided to stay home to care for her son.
“I love Hillside,” she said. “I have been attending since 1991. I leave with sadness, yet with enthusiasm for a new and different road to come. Working at Hillside was a dream of mine, and it has been an invaluable experience. Above all, I have worked and collaborated with dedicated board members, leadership volunteers and staff,” said Thompson.
Prior to coming to Hillside in 2004, Thompson’s career included working at Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis, and she worked six seasons with the Fergus Scottish Festival. She also volunteered in Guelph during that time as a board member of the Volunteer Centre of Guelph-Wellington.
Marie Zimmerman has directed the organization for the last year and has accepted the role of executive director. Zimmerman grew up in Montreal, attended graduate school at Queen’s and McMaster, and has lived and worked in Winnipeg and many places in southwestern Ontario. She has worked for more than 10 years at local festivals, most recently as artistic director of the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival and as a planner and communications professional for the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival. She has a background in cultural studies, literature, statistics, psychology, and research design.
She said she is “looking forward to working closely with energetic staff, committed board members and a huge roster of selfless volunteers in this great community.”
