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Who are the directors of the Ottawa Public Library Foundation?

Howard Whittaker, Chair

Howard Whittaker is passionate about education, literacy and community involvement. An active member of the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa, he has worked on many community projects, including the Kiwanis Read-a-thon and the Kiwanis Precious Minds literacy video. Howard is an active partner in the gordongroup, a leading Ottawa communications and marketing agency. Howard's interests include history, sailing, skiing and hockey, and he is currently busy raising a family in Westboro.

Hunter McGill, Vice-chair

Hunter McGill joined the Foundation board in January 2008. He is also chair of the board of Friends of the Rideau, an organisation working to protect and enhance the heritage of the Rideau Waterway, and a director of the Rideau Waterway Land Trust. Hunter is an international development policy consultant. He spent 25 years with the Canadian International Development Agency, where he was director for Zimbabwe and Zambia, director for the Caribbean, and director general for humanitarian aid and peace-building. From 2002 to 2006 he headed the review and evaluation division of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris. He is senior fellow at the School of International Development at the University of Ottawa.

J. Douglas McLarty

Doug has served the Ottawa community and his profession for more than 25 years. He was Chair of the Riverside Hospital before its closure as a community hospital, and has been a director of the Ottawa Congress Centre, Special Olympics Finance Committee, Community Care Access Centre, and treasurer of Christmas Cheer Breakfast. In 2000, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario recognized Doug’s contribution to the community and his profession by electing him a fellow of the Ontario Institute.

Marc Binavince, Director

Marc Binavince was the first vice-chair of the Foundation board and is also a past director of the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association and a former trustee of the Friends’ Trust Fund. He graduated from Amherst College in Massachusetts and Yale University's School of Law. He is a member of the Ontario bar and has been admitted to practice in Illinois. Mr. Binavince practices law at Menzies & Associates. He is a member of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association and active in the local chapter of the Yale Alumni Association. His interests include film, literature, golf and hockey. He is fluent in English, French, and German.

Barbara Clubb, Director, Ex-officio

Barbara Clubb is City Librarian and CEO of the Ottawa Public Library. She champions the benefits of reading, literacy and public libraries as a core community service. A leader in the Canadian and international library communities, she is a frequent speaker at conferences and meetings at local, national and international levels. She has been a director of the Ottawa Citizen Literacy Foundation, president of the Canadian Library Association and chair of the International Federation of Library Associations’ Public Libraries Section. She was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and is a Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary Club International.

John Dennison, Director

John Dennison is the founding chairman of Cathedral Arts, the performing and visual arts program of Christ Church Cathedral, the Anglican cathedral on Sparks Street at Bronson. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Laurentian University in Sudbury, and a Master’s degree in Political Science from Carleton University. He has received a number of community awards. Currently, he is a senior advisor in the Department of Citizenship and Immigration.

Peggy Feltmate, Director

Peggy Feltmate was elected in 2003 to represent Kanata on Ottawa City Council. She is vice-chair of the Planning and Environment Committee and also sits on the Health, Recreation and Social Services Committee, the Ottawa Public Library board, and the Ottawa Community Housing board. Her community involvements have included the Queensway-Carleton Hospital board, the Kanata-Hazeldean Lions Club executive, the Kanata Youth Centre board, Partners for Jobs and the Kanata Seniors Centre development committee. She was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and was named a Woman of Distinction by the YW-YMCA, a Community Builder by the United Way of Ottawa, and a Rotary Foundation Paul Harris Fellow.

Lori Nash, Director

Lori Nash is a director of Friends of Canadian Libraries ( FOCAL) and has served as president of Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association and vice-president of the Queenswood Heights Community Association. She has received many community awards for volunteer work. Lori Nash received the Order of Friendship Award for long time service in advocacy and support of the Ottawa Public Library in June of 2010. She is a member of the Cumberland and Grenville Historical Society, and Ottawa Storytellers. Lori is a retired researcher and publisher and has written extensively on politics, education and literacy, and published articles in academic journals on teratology, toxicology and nephrology.

Cindy Streefkerk, Director

Cindy Streefkerk is president of the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association. An independent business consultant, she offers clients a broad business and management background, strong strategic, project management, analytic and listening skills, coupled with a sensible viewpoint. Cindy was born in Montreal, graduated from Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, and now lives in Manotick with her family. She enjoys spending time with her teenagers, playing violin, classical music, reading, volunteering, competitive and recreational soccer, and running.

J C Sulzenko, Director

JC Sulzenko joined the Foundation board in 2009 and supports the Ottawa Public Library in a number of ways. JC is a judge of the library’s Awesome Authors contest and has co-edited two anthologies of the winning poems and stories. JC received the Order of Friendship Award for this work with young authors in June 2010 by the Ottawa Public Library. Her poetry for children has been heard on radio and television and appears in a number of chapbooks and anthologies. Her work is often featured at the Ottawa International Writers Festival and at Kid Lit Galas. Her one-act play for children, "What my Grandma means to say", is being used by The Alzheimer Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County in its outreach program for young people. JC leads writing workshops for all ages.

Tony Westenbroek, Director, Ex-officio

Tony Westenbroek manages the Alta Vista, Elmvale Acres, North Gloucester, St-Laurent, and Blackburn Hamlet community branches of the Ottawa Public Library. Before joining the library, Tony was manager of client services at the Bank of Canada library and, in an earlier life, managed the reference department at the Canadian Housing Information Centre, the corporate library of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. He also worked in marketing and communications while at CMHC. His interests include reading, cooking, keeping fit, and traveling.