Chi siamo | WHO WE ARE

kcic executive and board - 2023

Since 1966, the Kelowna Canadian Italian Club has been an integral hub for the Italian Community in Kelowna. Through that time, our Executive and Board have always strived to provide a place to socially connect with others, a way to share a common heritage and a mission to contribute to the greater community. 
EXECUTIVE
President – Rosann Nanci
Vice-President – Cinzia Zotta Wendland
Secretary – Mary Bazzana
Treasurer – Rita Conroy
​Past President - David Hawkins
​DIRECTORS
Josie Guarini
Jill Hotchkiss
Janet Gagnon
Tascheleia Marangoni
Joe Monna
​Jason Agostino
TRUSTEES
Bianca Iafrancesco
Patricia Rantucci
Rhonda Ewen

Our Executive and Board

our executive

Rosann Nanci

president

Rosann was appointed President in December 2020 after having served as Vice President for from 2018 to 2020. She has been a Director on the Board since 2013, and has organized several of the large functions for our club including the 50th anniversary Gala weekend and New Year's Eve Gala Dinner and Dance. 

Rosann was born in North Vancouver, BC and has lived in Kelowna since she moved here with her parents, and is proud to say she has been a member of KCIC since. 
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Rosann remains committed to the promotion of Italian culture and the preservation of our heritage in our community.  She encourages members of the Italian community to work together to maintain our social traditions; language, customs, and culinary arts. She believes that through interaction with each other we can promote understanding, compassion, and a joy for life that is typically the Italian way of living.

CINZIA ZOTTA WENDLAND

VICE PRESIDENT

Cinzia was born and raised in Squamish, BC to Italian Immigrants from Trentino Alto Adige. Her  family were long standing members and active participants in the Garibaldi Italian Club in Squamish as well as the Trentino Club in Vancouver.

As a youth, she was able to attend elementary school in Italy and represent the Vancouver Trentino Club as a Youth Ambassador on two separate occasions. Being fluent in Italian, she was awarded the opportunity to work at the 2006 Turin Olympics overseeing Italian media at Canada House.

​Cinzia is a proud mother of three young girls and she hopes to inspire, encourage, and develop the younger generation in the Club to embrace their heritage and to seek opportunities to utilize their language and to carry the torch forward for generations to come. 

MARY BAZZANA

secretary

​Mary has been a Director on the Board since 2004.  Key areas of focus have been Membership and Bursary, as well as her involvement in many events and activities.  
Her parents were founding members, as were her other relatives, so she truly has been involved since birth, and seen the Club evolve since its inception.  

Mary feels a deep connection and appreciation for the customs and culture of her Italian heritage, and hopes to encourage younger generations to experience the warmth of connection, and the joy of involvement, as we together create the Club’s vibrant future.

A proud Nonna, Mary lives for multi-generational gatherings of ‘Italian-style love’ in the form of fine food, family, friends, and VQA wine.

rita conroy

TREASURER

​In 2016 Rita started as a trustee, and since November 2017 has held the Treasurer position. For over 25 years her career was in bookkeeping and accounting.
 
Rita (nee Petretta) was born and raised in Kelowna and moved to Edmonton in 1973.  She returned to Kelowna in 2006 to spend more time with her mother and family.
 
Rita became a member in 2015. KCIC was a place she could volunteer, starting out in the kitchen and now still enjoys working with the kitchen volunteers.  She’s met many fellow Italians, young and old, and they have become people she loves being around.   They’ve all got stories and ideas to share.
 
Rita supports KCIC’s programs that shares knowledge of the Italian culture including its foods, language and local history.   She is optimistic of the club’s future growth and awareness in the community.      

David Hawkins

past president

David is in his 6th year as a member on the Board of KCIC. ​ David was President from 2018-2020 and a member of the Board of Directors in 2017-2018 and remains on the Board as Past President.

David was born in Toronto and moved to Kelowna in 1990. He works as a Family Physician in Lake Country.

He wants all generations of Italian ancestry to involved with the Club and to celebrate their Italian Heritage.
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 He encourages the development of new ideas and club events and envisions a dynamic future while respecting and honouring the past.

OUR BOARD

JANET GAGNON

Josie Guarini

JOE MONNA

Joe Monna was born in Naples, Italy and immigrated to Calgary, AB Canada in 1970 at the age of 23.

He worked for the City of Calgary for 30 years (1977-2007) in maintenance and inspection. He also managed and ran his own construction business - Joe's Residential from 1972 to 2016.

He retired in 2007  and enjoyed spending time with his family and traveling to Italy, Germany and New York. He relocated to Kelowna in 2016.

He joined the Kelowna Italian Club in 2016 and started volunteering on and off. 

Joe is excited to serve as a  director and he looks forward to working with fellow board members to share ideas as he learn & grows in this position.

Jill hotchkiss

Jill is serving her third term on the KCIC Board.

Jill has been involved with KCIC her entire life, participating in activities as a child and growing up with the Club as a constant part of her life. 

She contributes to many club activities, including organizing events, public relations and lending a helping hand wherever it's needed.

Her favourite activity is creating opportunities for the mixing of the many generations of Club members, enabling the sharing of the wisdom and experience of our long time members and encouraging the energy and enthusiasm that comes from our youngest members. She believes this multi-generational coming together is very much a part of our Italian heritage and is so important for the Club. 

Tascheleia marangoni


​​Tascheleia Marangoni (Tosca) is very proud of her Italian heritage, and has been a part of Italian communities most of her adult life. Her Father and his siblings were born and raised in Milano; her family in general is from Trentino Alto Adige. In particular, being a part of the Kelowna Canadian Italian Community the last ten years has been very rewarding. The members of this community are like family, and the warmth and love that come from being a part of this community is wonderful!

Tascheleia is a professional Dancer & Artist with over 40 years of training and experience, Sommelier, and the Executive Director for the Kelowna Kiwanis Festival, with a wide variety of experience in the non-profit sector, and honoured recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

Jason agostino