The Society is managed by its members through a volunteer Board of Directors elected each year at the Annual General meeting.

Directors

Emma Kent, President
Erik Foisy, Treasurer
Dave Kent, Secretary

Richard Collins
Scheherazade Khan
David Martin
Sonja McKay
Abbie Simpson
Amin Zahrai

Committees and Working Groups

Awards Committee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Recognizes the work of local historians on Ottawa and its regions.

• Roxy Woodward-Whyte (Chair)
• Emma Kent (Advisor)
• David Martin (Advisor)
• Amin Zahrai (Advisor)
• Erik J. Foisy (Advisor)

 Communications Committee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

• David Kent (Secretary)
• James Powell (Comms Officer)
• Kirsten Widdes (Blog Administrator)
• Karen Lynn Ouellette (Volunteer Recruiter)
• Ariana Bahrampour (Instagram)
• Lise Perera (Instagram)
• Ben Weiss (Facebook & Emails)
• Ivan Tanner (Cumberland Township Historical Society Liaison)

Executive Committee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Responsible for conducting the affairs of the Society in accordance with the purposes and objectives of the Society and the decisions of its Board.

• Emma Kent (President)
• Karen Lynn Ouellette (Past-President)
• Erik J. Foisy (Vice-President)

French Program | Programmation en français (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Faire rayonner en français l’histoire d’Ottawa et de la région.

• Christine Matamoros (Speaker’s Series)
• Fernanda Arenas Suxo (Advisor)
• Amin Zahrai (Advisor)

Governance Committee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Tasked with ensuring that a nonprofit’s board of directors is functioning appropriately and efficiently.

• Abbie Simpson (Chair)
• Emma Kent (Advisor)
• Erik J. Foisy (Advisor)

Budgetary Sub-Committee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Review present finances and propose plans to align with our typical annual income.

• Ben Weiss (Chair)
• Erik J. Foisy (Advisor)
• Emma Kent (Advisor)

Seal & Symbol Sub-Committee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Review of the Historical Society of Ottawa symbol and seal along with the introduction of an alternative logo.

• Emma Kent (Chair)
• Ben Weiss (Advisor)
• Erik J. Foisy (Advisor) 
• David Martin (Advisor)

Indigenous Program Committee

Working to support HSO in including Indigenous history and perspectives in programming.

• Scheherazade Khan (Advisor)
• Amin Zahrai (Advisor)
• David Martin (Advisor)
• Ben Weiss (Advisor)

Membership Committee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Responsible for all aspects of the HSO membership.

• Sonja McKay (Chair)
• Beverly Sawchuk (Telephone Tree)
• Erik J. Foisy (Advisor)
• Karen Lynn Ouellette (Advisor)

Nominating Committee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Responsible for the nominations for directorship at the Annual General Meeting.

• Erik J. Foisy (Chair)
• David Kent (Advisor)
• David Martin (Advisor)

Outreach Committee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Responsible for recruitment of volunteers and ensuring that our presentations, publications, and activities consider diverse cultural perspectives and address past and present injustices.

• Amin Zahrai (Chair)
• Karen Lynn Ouellette (Advisor)
• Sonja McKay (Advisor)

Publication Committee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Responsible for all HSO publications, in all mediums, whether virtual or physical.

• Erik J. Foisy (Chair)
• David Martin (Deputy Publications Director)
• Christine Jackson (Pamphlet Series Editor)
• Richard Collins (Newsletter Editor)
• Allison Smith (Newsletter Writer)
• Ariana Bahrampour (Newsletter Photojournalist)
• Kathy Krywicki (Website Editor)
• John Leefe (Memory Project)
• Sadie Cann (Memory Project)

Editorial Review Sub-Committee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Reviewers for any publication, focusing primarily on the pamphlet series.

• Scheherazade Khan (Editorial Reviewer)
• Richard Collins (Editorial Reviewer)
• Shawn Tallon (Editorial Reviewer)
• Emma Kent (Editorial Reviewer)
• Amin Zahrai (Editorial Reviewer)
• Kirsten Widdes (Editorial Reviewer)
• David Martin (Editorial Reviewer)
• Ben Weiss (Editorial Reviewer)

Regular Events Committee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

• Scheherazade Khan (Speakers Series Chair)
• Georgette Souaid & Jacob Salloum (Zoom & Technical Team)
• Ben Weiss (Advisor)
• Karen Lynn Ouellette (In-House Speakers Series / Museum Club)
• David Kent (Museum Club Chair)
• Erik J. Foisy (In-House Speakers Series / Série de conférences Haut-Parleurs)
• Lise Perera (In-House Speakers Series)

Inventory Review Committee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

• Erik J. Foisy (Chair)
• Bytown Museum (Advisors)
• Nivethini Jekku (Advisor)
• Dave Kent (Advisor)
• Emma Kent (Advisor)
• Kathy Krywicki (Advisor)
• Dave Mullington (Advisor)
• Connie Wren-Gunn (Advisor)

Contact Info

• To reach the Historical Society of Ottawa President: email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• To reach the Vice President: email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• To reach the Treasurer: email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• For inquiries about publications: email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• For inquiries about membership: email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• For inquiries about community outreach: email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• For inquiries about events: email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• For inquiries about the blog: email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• For general inquiries or to contact any of the directors: email The Historical Society of Ottawa at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.