Canadian Tulip Festival Announces New Generation for New Era

21/07/2020 07:00

OTTAWA ON, July 21, 2020 /CNW/ - After years of involvement with the Canadian Tulip Festival spanning the past three decades, Grant Hooker, along with his wife Pam, have resigned their most recent posts as Chairman-President and Secretary, respectively, and have been named "Directors Emeritus" by a new Board of Directors.

Under the direction of Grant & Pam, founders of BeaverTails® Pastry, the Festival was re-structured in the fall of 2018 and, with the approval of the National Capital Commission, was relocated to the heart of Ottawa's springtime tulip exhibition, Commissioners Park on the shores of Dow's Lake.

In early 2019, Grant and Pam secured new general management, Karma Creative Solutions with Jo Riding as Executive Director, and guided them in the May 2019 implementation of the first version of the "Modern Canadian Tulip Festival" which saw not only the significant location change to Commissioners Park, but a re-rooting of the Festival experience in its tremendously rich horticulture and truly moving history.

Upon completion of this year's Virtual Edition of the Canadian Tulip Festival in May 2020, the Hookers felt it was time to place the Tulip Legacy into the hands of a new generation of young Canadians.

The new Board of Directors of the Canadian Tulip Legacy is now led by Chair Nicolas McCarthy, who is joined by David Fraser as Treasurer and Janna Glenn as Secretary. To see more please visit www.tulipfestival.ca/tulip-team.

Nicolas McCarthy
Nick currently serves as Director of Marketing, Communications and Community Outreach at Beechwood, the National Cemetery of Canada and National Military Cemetery, and has worked closely with the Festival, hosting the official Veterans Day Ceremony for the last three years. With a fully bilingual education in History and French Literature. Given Nick's close connections to service members, veterans, and educators all across the region, he is perfectly positioned to lead the charge ensuring the historic significance of the Canadian Tulip Festival is celebrated and commemorated by a whole new generation.

David Fraser
As a veteran of countless large-scale events, Dave brings a wealth of experience in Event Production, Business Development and Sponsorship Stewardship. With 14 years as a professor of Corporate Sponsorship at Algonquin College and a decade of skillfully managing top Ski Resorts across Canada, Dave understands the value of sponsorship, the vital role it plays in hospitality and tourism, and how to honour the essential support sponsors provide to non-profit organizations such as the Canadian Tulip Legacy.

Janna Glenn
Acting as Director of Operations for the Festival for the past two years, Janna was responsible for the graphic design of the re-rooted event and served as Web Mistress for not only the Tulip Festival website, but also for the crucial bulb sale campaigns held in the autumn every year. Her efforts as part of Karma Creative Solutions team ensured that the Festival completed last fall's goal of planting 1.1 Million Liberation75 Tulips across Canada in honour of the 1.1 million Canadians who served in the Second World War.

"Pam and I have been very fortunate in attracting the enthusiastic engagement of a next generation Board of Directors and management," states Mr. Hooker. "We have also been fortunate with the support provided to our Festival efforts by public sector organizations and private sector sponsors. With a solid new Board and the proven and energetic young management talent of Jo Riding and Karma Creative Solutions, we believe we can exit knowing that the future of Ottawa's oldest and most meaningful outdoor event is in good hands."