YLW Leadership Team

Kelowna International Airport (YLW) is the largest municipally owned airport in Canada. YLW has been operated by the City of Kelowna since its inception in 1946.

The Airport Chief Executive Officer is an officer of the City, and has overall responsibility for airport management and operations. City Council ultimately makes the final decisions concerning airport management and operations.

Kelowna City Council

The City of Kelowna is governed by an elected Council comprised of a Mayor and eight Councillors. Councillors are elected for four-year terms and each member represents the city at large.

Mayor: Tom Dyas

Councillors: Ron Cannan, Maxine DeHart, Charlie Hodge, Gord Lovegrove, Mohini Singh, Luke Stack, Rick Webber, and Loyal Wooldridge.

Airport Advisory Committee

The Airport Advisory Committee is a standing committee of Kelowna City Council, established to ensure participation from local business and community interests within the region serviced by the airport. The committee makes recommendations to council regarding airport operations and development. Committee members are appointed by Kelowna City Council, councils representing other local governments in the airport region, and various community and business groups. Committee members serve for four-year terms coinciding with the term of office for council members.

Airport Management Team

Sam Samaddar Chief Executive Officer  Phone: 250-807-4301  Email: ssamaddar@kelowna.ca

Shayne Dyrdal Director, Finance & Corporate Services  Phone: 250-807-4303 Email: sdyrdal@kelowna.ca

Phillip Elchitz Director, Operations & Innovation Phone: 250-807-4304 Email: pelchitz@kelowna.ca

Geoff Ritchie Director, Commercial & Air Service Phone: 250-807-4308 Email: gritchie@kelowna.ca

Neil Drachenberg Senior Manager, Safety & Security  Phone: 250-807-4306 Email: ndrachenberg@kelowna.ca

James Hall Senior Manager, Operations  Phone: 250-807-4305 Email: jhall@kelowna.ca

Mark Stella Senior Manager, Operations & Emergency Services   Phone: 250-807-4318 Email: mstella@kelowna.ca

William Lampard Senior Manager, Airport Development  Email: wlampard@kelowna.ca

Toni McQueenie Manager, Corporate Services  Phone: 250-807-4310 Email: tmcqueenie@kelowna.ca

Steve Smith  Chief - Airport Operations & Fire Phone: 250-807-4319 Email: ssmith@kelowna.ca

Joe Yakimchuk Airport Project Manager Phone: 250-807-4322 Email: jyakimchuk@kelowna.ca

Henry Castorf Airport Project Manager Phone: 250-807-4307 Email:hcastorf@kelowna.ca

Lori Seemann Project Coordination Manager Phone: 250-807-4346 Email: lseemann@kelowna.ca

Jeff Monk Manager, Groundside and Terminal  Phone: 250-807-4325 Email: jmonk@kelowna.ca

Tonja Molina Manager, Commercial Development  Email: tmolina@kelowna.ca

Parth Patel Finance Manager Email: ppatel@kelowna.ca

For YLW media inquiries, please call 250-317-0579.