City manager, administration and policies

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Interim City Manager profile - Wendy Stephanson

Interim City Manager's biography

As Interim City Manager, Wendy serves as Council’s chief administrator leading the organization to deliver services across more than 100 distinct lines of business through 10 departments and 17,000 employees.

Wendy is a strong financial steward who has devoted her entire career to public service. With more than 25 years with the City of Ottawa, she has held several leadership roles including most recently as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

As CFO, Wendy was responsible for all financial aspects of the corporation, including the development of the $4.14B operating and $989.5M capital budgets, tax policy, long-range financial plans and $1.8B annual payroll and distribution of pensions and benefits.

Throughout her tenure with the City of Ottawa, Wendy has established strong, collaborative relationships across the organization, local industry partners and key stakeholders at all levels of government. She is an accomplished servant leader who has a proven track record of developing, empowering and guiding diverse teams of people to deliver quality service.

Headshot of Wendy Stephanson

In addition to her role with the City of Ottawa, Wendy has made significant impacts across the Province of Ontario. Through her collaboration with the Ontario Municipal Tax and Revenue Association’s (OMTRA) Education Committee, educational material for the Municipal Tax and Revenue Administration program was developed and administered by Seneca College. This work was also included in the re-developed Municipal Practitioner’s Guide to the Tax Sale Process that is used by municipal and legal professionals throughout Ontario. In 2017, Wendy received a Province of Ontario Volunteer Service Award for these contributions.

Wendy is also a member of the Big City Hub Task Force where the six largest cities in Canada collaborated to address the COVID-19 pandemic and develop a safe restart plan for Canada’s economy.

Wendy holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Carleton University, is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Certified Municipal Revenue Professional (CMRP). She is an active member of the Ontario Municipal Tax and Revenue Association, where she currently serves as a director on the board.

Organizational Structure

The City of Ottawa's organizational structure is comprised of City Council, the Interim City Manager Wendy Stephanson, the City Manager's Office led by Director Steve Box and the following City departments:

  • Community and Social Services – Donna Gray, General Manager
  • Emergency and Protective Services – Kim Ayotte, General Manager
  • Finance and Corporate Services – Cyril Rogers, Acting General Manager and Chief Financial Officer
  • Infrastructure and Water Services – Tammy Rose, General Manager
  • Office of the City Clerk – Rick O’Connor, City Clerk
  • Planning, Real Estate and Economic Development – Don Herweyer, Interim General Manager
  • Public Works – Alain Gonthier, General Manager
  • Recreation, Cultural and Facility Services – Dan Chenier, General Manager
  • Transit Services – Renée Amilcar, General Manager