National Board of Directors 2010-2011
President
National Executive Committee Member
Pierrette Leonard APR, FCPRS
pleonard@cpsi-icsp.ca
Involved in the health-care field for 26 years, Ms. Leonard is currently senior advisor for national partners with the Canadian Patient Safety Institute. Ms. Leonard's background also includes social work and teaching. She joined CPRS in the early 1990s as a member of CPRS Ottawa, and became a member of the Board of Directors shortly afterwards. As a Board member, she served as French Editor of the chapter newsletter, member of the Professional Development Committee, as secretary, and treasurer for the 1994 national conference. Nationally, Ms. Leonard has served CPRS as a grader, exam development lead and as chief examiner for the National Council on Accreditation from 2000 to 2007. Being involved from the ground up in the setting of standards for CPRS has enabled her to understand the sacred trust that comes with holding any position involving the accreditation of peers, especially concerning ethics, teamwork, and relationship building with colleagues. Ms. Leonard was elected to serve a three-year term and received her FCPRS in June 2007.
Vice President & Treasurer
National Executive Committee Member
Richard Truscott APR
richard.truscott@cfib.ca
Richard Truscott is the Director of Provincial Affairs in Alberta for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). In this role, he represents the interests of CFIB’s 10,000 members in Alberta by leading the legislative, research, and communication activities on issues affecting small and medium-sized businesses, as well as writing a regular column for the Calgary Herald and numerous daily and weekly publications across Alberta.
Prior to joining CFIB, Richard was Senior Public Relations Strategist for Venture Communications, one of Canada’s largest, independent marketing communications companies. He led a public relations team providing expertise and counsel to blue-chip companies such as EnCana, Forzani Group, Toyota, as well as a number of smaller, Calgary-based businesses. He also runs run his own public relations and communications consulting company and has been involved with several business start-ups.
Earlier in his career, Richard served for five years as the Director of Communications for the Certified General Accountants Association of Alberta, and another five as the Provincial Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation in Saskatchewan. In the mid-1990s, he worked for five years as a research and communication specialist on Parliament Hill in Ottawa focused on agriculture, resource, and trade issues.
Richard obtained his Accreditation in Public Relations from the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) in 2007 and is an active member of Canada’s public relations community. He served as president of CPRS Calgary in 2006 and chair of the CPRS National Membership Recruitment and Retention Committee from 2006 to 2009, where he led the development and launch of a number of new national membership initiatives, including the National Member Survey, the Member Referral Program and the National Student Membership Program. He was elected to the National Board of CPRS in 2009 and elected by the Board to serve as Vice President/Treasurer in 2010.
Richard also volunteers his time serving on the boards and advisory committees for a number of local community organizations and institutions. He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Calgary and a Masters in Business Administration from Queen’s University.
A member of the Canadian Public Relations Society’s College of Fellows, and holding a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Bachelor’s in Communications, Martine Dorval has accumulated 30 years of professional experience in the communications field, 12 years serving as a partner and consultant with National Public Relations and five years with Optimum-Cossette. In addition, her background includes some 10 years in strategic and operations management. Martine has also acquired considerable expertise in corporate governance and ethics, having sat on the Boards of numerous non-profit organizations and completed specialized training at the Institute for Governance of Public and Private Organizations. In 2004-2005, she served as President of Société des relationnistes du Québec (SQPRP) and Member of the Board of CPRS’s Board of Directors. She also is a former member of the Société des relationnistes du Québec’s Board of Directors (2002-2006) Her contribution has been regularly recognized by CPRS and SQPRP. Under her leadership, in 2004-2005, Quebec’s chapter won the Lutrin Award presented by the CPRS. She also is recipient of Équinoxe Grand Prize presented by the Société des relationnistes du Québec for the 35th edition of the WorldSkills Competition and recipient of CPRS Awards of Distinction for three projects: Parliamentary Institutions Bicentennial; 35th WorldSkills Competition; opening of the flagship Famous Players Paramount Theater. Actually working as an independent consultant and teaching Public Relations, at Université du Québec à Montréal, Martine has occupied the position of Director of Corporate Communications and Public Relations at Loto-Québec (2003-2008). In that role, her responsibilities included strategic planning, issue and crisis management, providing expert counsel to senior management, conducting image and public perception research, internal and external communications, digital communications, and sustainable development (social responsibility). Read more : www.martinedorval.com
Past President
National Executive Committee Member
Dr. Terence (Terry) Flynn APR, FCPRS
tflynn@mcmaster.ca
Dr. Flynn, APR, FCPRS is Professor and Director of the MCM Degree Program, DeGroote School of Business - McMaster University and has been a member of CPRS since 1986 and received his accreditation in 1993. A 22-year member of the CPRS Toronto Society, Terry also became a member of the Hamilton Society in 2004. In early 2005, Terry was appointed as the Chair of the Task Force on Public Relations Education and at the 2007 national conference in Edmonton he was re-elected to the board for a three-year term. Since his first election to the Board in 2005, Terry has helped guide the development of the new National Council on Public Relations Education, has been active in helping to design a national market study on the scope and value of the practice of public relations in Canada, and helped to secure sponsorship for the national membership satisfaction survey. Terry has also been a strong supporter of educational awards programs at the national level.
Robert W. Ellis APR, FCPRS
Director
robert.ellis@gov.sk.ca
Bob Ellis has been a public relations practitioner for 36 years, during which time the profession’s communications vehicles have moved from telexes to blogs and Twitter. He has spent his career in the public sector, first with the University of Regina and then with the Government of Saskatchewan, where he has worked for one Crown corporation and nine government departments. He is currently Director of Public Affairs for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Energy and Resources. Bob credits CPRS for shaping his development as a public relations professional, and has repaid the organization with years of dedicated service. He joined the CPRS National Board of Directors in June 2009 and was a CPRS National Director in the mid-Nineties. He has served as President of CPRS Regina and as Chairman of the 1990 CPRS National Conference. Bob received his accreditation in 1993 and became a member of the College of Fellows in 2002. His community service includes positions on the advisory committee of the University of Regina’s Certificate in Public Relations program and on the public relations advisory committee for Regina’s Wascana Centre, one of North America’s largest urban parks. For many years he also handled communications for the SaskPower Regina Dragon Boat Festival. A graduate of the University of Regina, he holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from that institution and is an elusive final project away from completing a Master of Science degree in communications management from Syracuse University.
Lucie-Anne Fabien APR, FCPRS
Director
lafabien@videotron.ca
Ms. Fabien was elected to serve a second three year term in 2008. She has spent the first 17 years in public relations organizations, mostly as a manager. For the last 6 years, she has been working as a consultant in PR and teaching Management and PR at the Executive MBA program at UQAM. Ms. Fabien has been volunteering in the profession for more than 13 years, 10 of which were in Quebec where she was President of SRQ in 2003-2004.
Mark Giles APR
Director
Mark.Giles@ps-sp.gc.ca
Mark Giles, APR, is a senior communications advisor with the Privy Council Office – the bureaucratic arm of the Prime Minister’s Office – where he has held the defence, foreign affairs, transport, fisheries and oceans, and agriculture portfolios. Previously, he served for more than four years as communications director for the Canadian Forces Military Police and National Investigation Service, as Interpol’s chief of communications in Lyon, France, and as a police officer with the Calgary Police Service.
Recently completing a 15-month secondment from the PCO to Public Safety Canada, as director for Vancouver 2010, he led a team focused on strategic planning, partnerships and priorities. He believes these three areas, especially “priorities” and a clear understanding of what matters most, must be at the top of our CPRS national agenda.
A member of the Ottawa chapter’s board of directors for more than three years, he held the sponsorship, treasurer, student and web communications portfolios. He received his APR at the 2006 national conference in Niagara Falls, where he also gave a presentation on non-traditional branding.
Raised in the Vancouver area, and having lived and worked in Edmonton and Calgary for 20 years before moving to Ottawa in 2002, he has practised public relations and feels at home in both Eastern and Western Canada. Now a reserve major in the Canadian Forces – after previous full-time service – he teaches part time at the Defence Public Affairs Learning Centre in Ottawa, and also writes a regular column for Blue Line, Canada’s national law enforcement magazine.
Sean W. Kelly APR, FCPRS
Director
SKelly@cnlopb.nl.ca
Sean graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland with a Bachelor of Arts (1985) and a Bachelor of Education (1986). He is presently working towards a Masters Degree in Political Science from Memorial University. He received his accreditation in PR (APR) in 2002. Sean joined the senior management team at the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board in December 2006. Prior to that, he had a successful 20-year career in the Newfoundland and Labrador public service. Sean was an advisor to the Premier’s Round Table on Environment and Economy and an advisor to the Joint National and Provincial Round Tables Task Force on Sustainable Marine Environments and Coastal Communities. He chaired several intergovernmental committees on environmental education and communications. Sean is also a part-time public relations instructor at the College of the North Atlantic. He has held the position of President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS-NL) since 2002. He served on the National CPRS Task Force on Recruitment and Retention. He led the team that drafted the CPRS-NL Submission to the Cameron Inquiry on Hormone Receptor Testing. He also led the organizing committee for a very successful CPRS mini-conference in St. John’s in 2005. Sean has been a speaker at several conferences, including the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environmental Education and Communications (Eco-Ed). On two separate occasions, he was part of a team nominated for the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Service Award for Excellence - (i) Emergency Measures Response to the 9-11 Terrorists Attacks on the USA; and (ii) Development of media relations training for senior government officials.
Reneé McCloskey APR
Director
rmccloskey@rdffg.bc.ca
Reneé McCloskey, APR is the Manager of External Relations with the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George in Prince George, BC. Prior to joining the Regional District in 2007, Renee worked in a variety of sectors including local government, healthcare, tourism and economic development. Reneé joined CPRS in 1995 and was one of the original charter members of CPRS-Northern Lights, when it was formed in 1999. She has served in a number of capacities on the Northern Lights executive over the past ten years, including two terms as president. She has been a member of the National Membership and Recruitment Committee since 2007, and has twice served as a judge for the BC PR Leadership Awards. She received her APR in 2006.
Lynn McGregor APR
Director
lynnmcgregor@sympatico.ca
Ms. McGregor was elected in 2008 to serve a three year term. Throughout her career, Lynn has been a CPRS member in good standing, establishing one of the first official public relations positions in a municipal parks and recreation department. Since then, her varied experiences - including agency work; independent consulting; directing the Canadian operations of an international trade association with four separate regions across Canada; coordinating the advancement, marketing communications and special events activities of a national educational organization; managing the alumni relations program for a high profile Toronto-based business school with chapters in 15 countries worldwide; and currently directing the development of an international association of executive search consultants - have given her the knowledge and understanding required to make a positive contribution to the National CPRS organization. Since joining CPRS in 1986, she has had various CPRS leadership positions.
Derrick Pieters APR, FCPRS
Director
derrick.pieters@justice.gc.ca
Derrick Pieters, APR, FCPRS, is Director of Communications, Department of Justice Canada, Prairie Region, based in Edmonton, Alberta. He has over 35 years extensive experience as a strategic communications planner, team leader, media relations strategist, editor, government information administrator, and public relations consultant.
He is an accredited, award winning member of the CPRS having received his APR in 1982. He has held several positions of increasing responsibility within the CPRS. He was elected to the National Board of Directors in 2008 to serve a second three-year term and is a former National President of the CPRS and a former President of the Edmonton Society in which capacity he was an appointed National Board member for many years.
Derrick is the former vice-president of the CPRS National Education Committee. He is Past Presiding Officer of the CPRS National Council on Accreditation on which he served for approximately 15 years. Under his leadership, the Council, in cooperation with the Accreditation Task Force, successfully implemented several important improvements to the accreditation process.
He has been a guest lecturer at the University of Alberta, Grant MacEwan College and Mount Royal College. In 2000, Derrick received the Alberta Premier’s Award of Excellence for his contribution to Capital Health’s Y2K communications. In 2008, he received a Team Achievement Award from the Deputy Minister of Justice Canada for his communications contribution to a high impact litigation case. He also has considerable training in business and association management.
Anita Wasiuta APR
Director
anita_wasiuta@bctransit.com
Ms. Wasiuta, APR is BC Transit's Manager of Marketing and Communications based in Victoria, British Columbia. She was elected to the Board in 2005 and again in 2008 to serve a three year term and has been elected for a second term as VP-Secretary. During 2007/08, she developed and implemented evaluation tools including a Board Self Evaluation and a new Management Services Performance Evaluation. She served on the CPRS-Vancouver Island board for more than 10 years in various portfolios including communications, president and sponsorship, and was a committee member of the successful 2001 Whistler national conference team. Ms. Wasiuta is an active member of the Canadian Urban Transit's Authority Communication Committee charged to build awareness of public transit throughout BC and Canada. Ms. Wasiuta's areas of expertise include facilitation, marketing and sponsorships. And yes, she rides public transit in all the cities she travels to.
Christina Winsor APR
Director
Christina.Winsor@gnb.ca
Ms. Winsor was appointed in 2008 to serve a one-year term to replace Rod Stanley, APR who stepped down. She is Director of Internal Communications with the New Brunswick Government and is located in Fredericton, NB. Having worked in the private and public sectors, her areas of expertise include issues management, strategic communications, internal communications, labour relations and employee engagement. Ms. Winsor received her APR in 2007 and has been actively involved in CPRS at both the local and national level in a variety of roles including President of CPRS-NB and Chair of the National Professional Development Committee. Her work with the Government of New Brunswick has been recognized by the CPRS Awards of Excellence and the CPRS Atlantic Gemstone Awards.