Biographies
Meet the Chair
John Ecker, Whitby
John Ecker is a communications, marketing, branding and fundraising executive. He is the Director, Family of Faith & Special Projects, at the Archdiocese of Toronto where he leads Indigenous healing and reconciliation activities. In 2022, he served as Program and Production Lead for Pope Francis’s visit to Iqaluit, Nunavut. He also oversaw brand development and marketing for the archdiocese’s $170-million Family of Faith Campaign. Previously, he served as Vice President at Indspire (the former National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation), and held director-level positions at the Ontario Trillium Foundation, ECHO: Improving Women’s Health in Ontario, and the Toronto Board of Trade.
Ecker's involvement with the Trust goes back decades. In the 1990s, he oversaw development of the Heritage Community Recognition Program, forerunner of the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Awards.
He is the Chair of the Selection Committee for the Province of Ontario's annual June Callwood Awards and an ex-officio Board member of the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund. An active volunteer, Ecker has served on the board of Credit Canada and is a former chair of the Whitby Public Library Board, the Waterview Child Care Centre and the Lynde Marsh Alliance. He served as Chair of Heritage Whitby and has been a volunteer for Doors Open Whitby. Internationally, he established Bimini Bound, which sent over 10,000 books and learning resources to schools on the island of Bimini, Bahamas.