Board of Directors
Chair: Riley McIntyre
Secretary: TBD
Treasurer: Byron Martin, Kiwanis Club of Ottawa
Past Chair: Andy Xhignesse
Paul McCumber, at large
Dolly Hsiao, at large
Neil Saungikar, at large
Stephen Rowat, at large
Tara Chitnis-Campbell, at large
Tanya Vainet, at large
Ramez Faltas, at large
Michael Gazo, at large
Stephen Smye, at large
Nick Hebb
Executive Director
Nick Hebb is an accomplished non-profit leader, event manager, and program director with a track record of delivering high-impact initiatives across sustainability, civic engagement, and community building. Beginning his career in the travel industry, Nick honed his skills in business operations, team leadership, and customer service before transitioning into event program management, earning a Graduate Diploma in Event Management from Algonquin College.
He has held senior roles with organizations such as the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association, SMARTNet Alliance, Synapcity, and the Broadbent Institute, where he has overseen everything from strategic planning and stakeholder engagement to marketing, fundraising, and volunteer coordination. Nick’s career highlights include relaunching Synapcity’s Civics Boot Camp, producing the Progress Summit for the Broadbent Institute, and leading award-winning renewable energy campaigns.
Nick also has an extensive background in arts and culture, having co-founded a local music and arts collective and he is excited to bring his passion and knowledge to the Festival.
Christopher Askwith
Programming Director
Christopher Askwith's professional background includes nine years with the Festival and nine years at Building Technologies Consulting, Inc. (BTC Group), a roof and building envelope engineering, consulting, and portfolio management firm, starting as one of the company's earliest staff and a part of its growth from classic "garage start-up" to Canada-wide organisation. Christopher's work with the firm specialised in portfolio management with national retail clients, including managing both routine and urgent roof and building envelope care.
As Programming Director of the Festival since the 2018 Festival year, Christopher has helped see the Festival through the pandemic and several years of the virtual Festival, before resuming live Festivals in the 2023 Festival year, along with major shifts in the Festival's online registration processes.
Christopher lives in Ottawa with his son and with their pet cat. A bachelor of music (B.Mus) graduate of Carleton University, he has at times been a singer, composer, and conductor.