CEC Team

David Kardish

David C. Kardish, APR, is a founding partner and current President of The Centre for Excellence in Communications. Mr. Kardish has over thirty years of experience working in all aspects of planning and communications in Canada and the United Kingdom. He has consulted to federal government departments, non-governmental organizations and private sector companies. Mr. Kardish has worked as a strategic planner, communications practitioner, evaluator, lobbyist, social marketer, and is a skilled adult educator, trainer and facilitator.

In the early 1990’s, Mr. Kardish was a member of the team that introduced “Results-Based Management” into the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). As a result of this experience, he is the architect of many professional development programs that focus on results-based planning and performance measurement.

Mr. Kardish regularly delivers professional development workshops in:

• Communicating change and transition;
• Results-based management and performance measurement;
• Strategic communications planning;
• Social Marketing;
• Face-to-Face Communication;
• Ethno-Cultural Communications; and
• Practical facilitation skills for communicators.

Among his volunteer activities, Mr. Kardish provides strategic communications advice to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Paediatric Society and is a past Treasurer of the Canadian Public Relations Society's Ottawa Branch.

Josef Jurkovic

Josef Jurkovic is a CEC director and founding partner. He has over 35 years of public and private sector experience across diverse areas of internal and external communications, public consultations, branding and marketing.  In over 20 years as a trainer, facilitator and consultant, Mr. Jurkovic has undertaken projects for well over three hundred government, business and non-governmental organizations in Canada and abroad.  Mr. Jurkovic is a frequent conference speaker on internal communications, employee engagement and on public sector branding and positioning.  He regularly delivers professional development workshops in:

• Effective messaging;
• Internal and organizational communications;
• Strategic communications planning;
• Public consultations and citizen engagement;
• Professional communicators competencies;
• Government branding and positioning;
• Public sector marketing;
• Oral briefings and presentations; and
• Media relations.  
  

Mr. Jurkovic has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Public Relations Society and of the Executive Board of the Canadian Society for Training and Development Ottawa-Gatineau chapters.

Stephanie Schouten

Stephanie Schouten is the Centre for Excellence in Communications' Administrative Officer. She ensures the integrity and efficiency of the Centre's operational, administrative, registration and payment processes. Ms. Schouten joined our team in 2009 and brings significant experience as an office administrator, including with a major Toronto law practice.

Tara Bissett

Tara holds positions as an associate with CEC and BridgePoint Effect, and senior consultant with Principle Dynamics Consulting. Her wide array of leadership and facilitative experiences include helping private, public, and non-profit sector organizations with strategic thinking, innovation, change management and team effectiveness. She has facilitated national standards projects and educational partnership frameworks for both government and private sector clients, helping broker successful partnerships between diverse stakeholders. In the last two decades, Tara has also been involved in community efforts, including leadership and creativity training with youth, senior, and cross-generational groups, as well as facilitating vision and mission initiatives, ideation, team-building and team-effectiveness. She is currently researching and co-authoring a book for change leaders on leveraging intuitive insights within the creative problem solving and change process. Tara has an MSc in Applied Creativity and Change Leadership from The International Center for Studies in Creativity at SUNY Buffalo, and was a 2008 recipient of the Mary Murdock Creative Spirit Award.

(français)

BridgePoint Effect

Carolyn Brown

Carolyn Brown is a science and medicine writer and editor with 18 years' experience at Canada's two largest scientific publishers - Canadian Medical Association publications and NRC Research Press. She has written everything from speeches for Cabinet ministers to feature magazine articles. She is a contributing news writer for the Canadian Medical Association Journal and Canadian Nurse magazine. She is also a trainer, helping authors and editors to transition to computer-based editing, write abstracts, edit scientific papers, and prepare references and bibliographies. In 2009, she participated in the Science Communications Program at the Banff Centre, led by noted science communicator Jay Ingram.

Barbara Campbell

Barbara Campbell is a communications executive with wide federal government experience, including as a Director General of Communications in several departments and a Director of policy at the Privy Council Office. A CEC Associate, Ms Campbell is President of Stratco Consulting Inc., a company that provides services in human resource management and training in such areas as briefings, writing House cards, media lines and releases, legal submissions and other materials. She holds degrees from the University of Toronto and a certificado de suficiencia en lengua espanola from the Universidad de Madrid.

Don Candon

Don Candon is an expert in customer service, sales, marketing and strategic sales management and the key role and place of technology in business and organizations. Mr. Candon’s experience, gained over thirty years working with IBM , Bell Canada and other companies, encompasses business development, recruiting, personnel, product management, service development and managing high performing customer acquisition sales teams. A CEC Associate, he was most recently Managing Director of Web-Insight Inc., which specialized in helping organizations measure and develop optimum web user experience and whose services included a new and unique proprietary methodology, "First Impression Assessment", to measure the web user experience. Apart from university and college lecturing, Mr. Candon has presented at numerous conferences such as the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT) 2001, Telecom 2000, the Atlanta Total Quality Conference and "Sales Process Conference" in Dallas Texas.

Dave Clements

Dave Clements has worked for a number of national science-based organizations, where he has managed policy, planning, communications and knowledge transfer/exchange programming. Mr. Clements has worked in diverse areas of science since 1998 and is recognized internationally as an expert in the use of research and knowledge for health care policy and management. Over the last ten years, Mr. Clements has developed and delivered several workshops and courses on communicating science for researchers, managers and policymakers from across diverse public sector organizations. He has worked as a journalist and as a communications and media relations advisor to senior government officials. Mr. Clements is currently pursuing a doctorate in innovation studies at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He holds a master of public administration from the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University with a concentration in health policy, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Victoria.

Bernie Colterman
Managing Partner, Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing (CEPSM)

Bernie Colterman is Founding Partner and Director of the Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing (CEPSM), an Ottawa-based consulting and training organization that specializes in marketing communications strategies for the public and non-profit sectors. Known for his expertise in the areas of strategic marketing planning, partnership development and integrated marketing communications, Bernie provides through the Centre strategic advice and planning services to a wide range of clients such as the Public Health Agency of Canada, Province of Ontario, City of Burlington and national associations.

Bernie’s work in partnership development covers a broad spectrum of organizations and initiatives and includes developing partnership policies and guidelines, strategic partnership planning, partner recruitment and performance measurement as well as quantitative systems for selecting and prioritizing partners and measuring the value of partnering arrangements. Between 1998 and 2004, Bernie was instrumental in launching one of the federal government’s most ambitious partnering initiatives where he raised over $4 million in private sector support for Industry Canada’s SchoolNet Grassroots Program to integrate technology into the classroom.

Bernie is also Executive Producer of MARCOM, an annual marketing symposium dedicated to the specialized needs of the public and non-profit sectors, and is Co-Program Director of Carleton University's Sprott School of Business, Professional Certificate in Public Sector and Non-Profit Marketing. His highly acclaimed Designing and Selling Your Sponsorship Program and Revenue Generation Boot Camp workshops are attended by hundreds of professionals each year. Bernie is a regular contributor to publications and a speaker at conferences aimed at government and not-for-profit audiences. His blog on Sponsorships and Partnership can be found at www.berniecolterman.ca

Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing

Daniel Daigneault

Animateur journaliste bilingue, Daniel Daigneault, un associé du CEC, cumule plus de vingt cinq ans d'expérience dans le domaine des médias. Au cours de sa carrière, il a agit à titre d'animateur et de journaliste au sein d'équipes de production d'émissions d'informations régionales et nationales, dans plusieurs provinces canadiennes, principalement pour les services de la radio et de la télévision de la Société Radio-Canada. Il a aussi eu le privilège d'ajouter un volet international à sa carrière à Paris en France.

Il a été chargé de cours à la Cité Collégiale d'Ottawa, à la fin des années 90 et a enseigné aux élèves de première et de deuxième année du programme de journalisme/radiodiffusion du collège, des fonctions qu'il a décidé de reprendre en 2007.

Daniel Daigneault est aujourd'hui consultant en communications. Il se spécialise dans la formation de porte parole. Il offre également des services de formation en rédaction (Fiches parlementaires, Infocapsules Notes de breffage) des services de facilitation et de rédaction de discours. Des services dispensés à une clientèle émanant autant du côté du gouvernement fédéral, que des secteurs privés et des ONG.

Ses ateliers de formation de porte parole ont été dispensés à des centaines d'employés de différents ministères et agences du gouvernement fédéral. Ces sessions de formations ont été dispensées sur une base individuelle ou en groupe auprès d'employés qui avaient peu ou pas d'expérience auprès des médias. Des hauts fonctionnaires, sous-ministres adjoints, porte parole officiels et gestionnaires ont également profité de sessions plus avancées dispensées par Monsieur Daigneault.

Janice Francisco

Janice Francisco stimulates thinking breakthroughs to drive innovations in organizational performance. She is a CEC Associate and President of BridgePoint Effect, an Ottawa-based consultancy she founded in 2001, intent on guiding learning and change with creativity and innovation. As a Creativity Professional she has 20+ years experience and works primarily on IM/IT projects as a change manager, trainer, facilitator, and communications advisor specializing in helping managers and teams apply strategic thinking and creative problem solving to satisfy work challenges, build creative work climates, benefit from change and achieve higher levels of productivity. An international thought leader, Janice conducts research in the creativity and change leadership fields and shares her expertise as a speaker and author. She holds an MSc in Creativity and Change Leadership, a Bachelor of Business Management, a diploma in adult education and is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator.

BridgePoint Effect

Francine Girard-Griffith

Francine Girard-Griffith is a former Assistant Deputy Minister in the federal government with extensive experience in all aspects of developing and managing government communications. As a senior executive, Francine has a wide array of leadership and organizational change management experience. She has advised numerous ministers, deputies, assistant deputy ministers and senior managers on a multitude of public policy issues. Francine has been involved in federal government communications and marketing initiatives in such areas as energy, natural resources and social and economic policy initiatives as well as serving as senior advisor and analyst at the Privy Council Office. Francine also worked in the private sector as Vice-President of Communications in a communications/marketing/sponsorship consulting firm. She brings over thirty years of experience to CEC as an associate. Francine holds a degree in Public Policy and Management and in Political Science from the University of Ottawa and is an active member of her community volunteering with numerous organizations.

Scott Hannant

Scott Hannant is a seasoned media and communications professional. In 2010, he wrapped up a 30-year career in journalism as News Director at CTV Ottawa, one of Canada’s most successful television newsrooms. Mr. Hannant currently teaches television journalism at Carleton University. He also produces video stories with his own company, Hannant Media Solutions.

Mr. Hannant recently joined CEC as an Associate to provide expertise in media, and video production. In addition to teaching, he has consulted with Canadian Blood Services on video production for social media, CIDA on Media and Public Affairs, Carleton University on updated news and production facilities for the School of Journalism and Communications. He has also served as a facilitator for Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Mr. Hannant volunteers extensively. He is a Director of the Ottawa Mission, the Youth Services Bureau Foundation, Ottawa Peace Camps, and the Ottawa Public Library Foundation. He also sits on the national executive of the Vanier Institute of the Family.

Debra Huron

Debra Huron has extensive experience as a writer, editor, and trainer. For three years, she managed the Plain Language Service at the Canadian Public Health Association. She has worked for a national literacy organization, the Ottawa Board of Education, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, and as a self-employed pen-for-hire. Her experience with training includes design and delivery of writing workshops for diverse clients in the health, government, and voluntary sectors. Debra is a member of the Editors' Association of Canada and the international organization, PLAIN. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Ryerson University in Toronto.

Wellspring

Greg Ioannou

Greg Ioannou is the founder and president of Colborne Communications, which since 1977 has provided a complete range of writing, editing, training, and publishing services to book, magazine, government, and corporate clients. He is also the publisher of Iguana Books, a Toronto-based ebook publisher. He was a founding member of the Editors' Association of Canada, and has served four terms as the Association's president.

Greg has taught courses and workshops in a wide variety of writing and editing skills, including: estimating editorial costs; plain language; rewriting; structural editing; copy editing; proofreading; grammar; editing fiction; manuscript evaluation; author-editor relations;  copyright laws; eliminating bias; and on-screen editing.

Greg has taught editing courses for George Brown College since 1986 and for Ryerson University since 1990. Since 1982, he has taught many dozens of workshops and seminars for the Editors' Association of Canada (in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Kingston, and Vancouver). The two most recent were "Editing eBooks" and "When SEO and Editing Wreck Each Other," both of which were at the 2012 EAC Conference.

He has also given workshops for the American Medical Writers' Association, the Writers' Union of Canada, the Professional Writers' Association of Canada, and the Canadian Authors' Association, and the Manitoba Editors' Association; at the University of British Columbia; and at Victoria,  Humber, Centennial, and Sheridan colleges.

He has given workshops on writing and plain language for many branches of the Ontario government, for several corporations, and for various writers' and editors' groups and conferences. As well, he has led over 60 Plain Language workshops for staff writers at the City of Toronto.

Mike Kujawski
Vice-President, Strategic Marketing and Social Media Engagement,
Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing (CEPSM)

Mike Kujawski is a passionate consultant, trainer and speaker, on the topic of strategic marketing and digital engagement. His specific niche and personal mission is to help governments, non-profits and associations excel in the modern social media landscape through careful, strategic planning. In 2005, Mike helped launch the Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing (CEPSM), where he currently leads a team of strategists responsible for major digital client initiatives in Canada and abroad.

Mike’s recent consulting clients include the Office of the Auditor General, Canada Health Infoway, Baycrest, the Government of Tanzania, Ontario 211, the Canadian Department of National Defence and the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority.

Over and above his consulting work, Mike is a distinguished international speaker, engaging blogger and highly sought out trainer in his field. He created Canada’s first national workshop and comprehensive workbook on how to develop a social media engagement strategy in a public sector setting. He has trained public servants and non-profit workers in numerous countries spanning across 4 continents.

Mike is frequently quoted by the media and has been invited to speak at hundreds of public sector and non-profit conferences, panels and events around the globe. His speaking topics include new marketing, modern communications, social media, government 2.0 and the importance of developing a strategy before executing tactics. He has been asked to provide strategic digital engagement advice to central government agencies in Canada such as the Treasury Board Secretariat, the Privy Council Office and the Senate.

In addition to his work with CEPSM clients, Mike is part of the faculty of the Professional Certificate in Public Sector Marketing Program at Carleton University and occasionally lectures at the University of Ottawa in the B.Com program. 

Find out more about Mike

Sylvia Larrass

Sylvia Larrass is a CEC Associate and voice and presentation delivery expert who brings a unique blend of public speaking expertise and performing arts experience. In the past decade Ms. Larrass has helped over two thousand people across Canada, the United States, Costa Rica and France tap into the power of their voice and as public speakers connect with their audience in a more authentic and compelling way.

Ms. Larrass frequently facilitates workshops and seminars on public speaking and how to present a more professional and engaged image. She is an instructor at the Ottawa Theatre School and is in demand as a performer, trainer and coach.

A graduate of the University of British Columbia, Ms. Larrass also holds a diploma in vocal performance, as well as the Medal of Excellence from the Royal Conservatory of Music for highest achievements in the province of Ontario.

Sylvia Larrass - Voice and Presentation Coaching/Coaching en voix et présentation

Paul MacNeil

Paul MacNeil's first career was in the public service, working in several departments (Health, Human Resources Development, Fisheries and Oceans, Industry, Transport) and central agencies (Privy Council Office, Ministry of State for Economic & Regional Development and, on secondment, the Saskatchewan Executive Council). For many years, Paul served as a Director General in three federal departments; in one of those positions, he was a Director General of Strategic Policy and Planning for seven years. In Saskatchewan, he had the lead provincial role for intergovernmental relations, advised the Premier and served as the Secretary to the Premier's Planning Committee of Cabinet.

Since 1995, Paul has been an independent and Ottawa-based public policy consultant and trainer, handling work for some 25 federal departments and agencies and a dozen or more outside organizations. Over that time, Paul has written about 50 Memoranda to Cabinet and Treasury Board submissions for federal departments and taken on many consulting projects in the areas of policy and strategic development, government programs, legislation, organizational change, etc. Key subject matter areas for his consulting work have been Aboriginal affairs, health, fisheries and oceans, industrial and regional development, environment and infrastructure investments. And has Paul designed and delivered some 30 two-day public policy training workshops for federal public servants, both in the national capital and in the regions. In addition, he has provided training through a few training organizations. Paul has also taught public speaking. As a volunteer, Paul has handled public policy development work for a number of non-government organizations for many years.

Paul received an Honours B.A. in Economics and Political Administration from the University of Windsor and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Carleton University.

Gerry Maffre

Gerry Maffre has over twenty years experience in delivering and managing government communications. Gerry has worked in Canada and overseas, and has served in senior positions such as the Communications Director General for both Citizenship and Immigration Canada and Infrastructure Canada. For these departments and others, such as Employment and Immigration, and Environment Canada, he has led - in both official languages - communications activities and programs covering media relations, planning, media monitoring and analysis, web communications, and design and production projects. Gerry also has significant experience in working with communicators in provincial, territorial and municipal government and with human resources and financial resources. He has worked in social and economic policy and science-based programs including immigration, infrastructure, environment, and labour and has central agency experience. Gerry holds a B.A. in Canadian Studies and undertook M.A-level work in Canadian Studies.

Heather Marshall

Heather Marshall is a former journalist and program host with 14 years experience in public broadcasting. For the past 20 years, she has applied the analytical skills and writing techniques gained in radio, television and print journalism to her professional services as a speechwriter and communications strategist serving federal and territorial government clients.

Carl Martin

Carl Martin is a fluently bilingual strategic communications and marketing specialist with experience in a wide range of areas including issues management, media relations, special events and brand development and management. A former newspaper and TV journalist, Carl has provided communications services, media training and coaching to senior executives and volunteers in both the public and private sectors. He has worked in municipal affairs, arts and culture, police and law enforcement, as well as in health care and not-for-profit sectors. He has lectured at La Cité collégiale and Algonquin College and is currently an associate trainer with the Centre for Excellence in Communications. Carl is the recipient of several communications awards from organizations such as the Canadian Public Relations Society, the Health Care Public Relations Association of Canada and the International Association of Business Communicators.

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Debrah Martin

Debrah Martin is the President of the International Coaching Centre Inc. and an expert in interpersonal communication who consults, trains and coaches in the private and public sectors. With a Ph. D. in Leadership and an M.A. in Linguistics, Dr. Martin is interested in how the language used in the workplace impacts on corporate culture. She is the author of Stars in life: Coaching kids to success and several articles on leadership whose consulting work is in the areas of strategic communications planning and leadership development, including training leaders to embrace a "coach-approach" leadership style.

Jim Mintz
Managing Partner, Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing (CEPSM)

CEPSM Website: www.cepsm.ca; Twitter: www.twitter.com/jimmintz; Blog: www.jimmintz.ca

James (Jim) Mintz a Managing Partner of the Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing (CEPSM), Ottawa, and Program Director of the “Professional Certificate in Public Sector and Non-Profit Marketing” at Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business. Formerly an Adjunct Professor at the University of Ottawa School of Management, and lecturer at Sprott School of Business he also teaches non-profit and public sector marketing at the University of South Florida, College of Public Health (Tampa).

Jim brings a wide range of public and private sector experience in marketing, branding and marketing communications and has provided social marketing advice across Canada and to a number of countries as well as consulting to government and not-for-profit sector in branding and public sector marketing of products and services. He has been involved in federal government marketing and communications initiatives in areas such as health, environment, energy conservation, public safety and identity theft and, most recently, with CEPSM, in social media marketing for public sector and non-profit organizations.

Prior to becoming Director of CEPSM, Jim was Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Health Canada, where he oversaw marketing campaigns and led the development of the Canadian Health Network. He also served on the Treasury Board Secretariat Committee responsible for the development of the Federal Government Communications Policy. He was Manager, Advertising and Promotion at Canada Post Corporation (Retail Division), Advertising Coordinator at Eaton’s ( Montreal) and held positions with a large advertising agency. Jim is a Past-President of the National Capital Region American Marketing Association (AMA) chapter and a former member of the editorial board of “Marketing News”. His team at Health Canada was awarded the AMA “Marketer of the Year Award”.

Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing

JoAnn Myer

JoAnn Myer is a communications consultant and CEC Associate. She was previously a senior executive in the federal public service, where she led policy and communications professionals to effectively deliver on all aspects of strategic positioning, corporate and communications planning and management. In addition to her policy and communications experience, JoAnn is also a former Director General of the Personnel Psychology Centre, a cost recovery organization that is part of the Public Service Commission. JoAnn led a team whose primary focus was to ensure top-notch innovation, development and delivery of key assessment services to the federal government’s human resources and management community.

JoAnn has taught strategic communications and designed and delivered workshops on a variety of personnel management issues and is a certified professional coach. She has also undertaken a wide variety of consulting projects, including high-profile projects such as managing strategic and operational communications for the launch of the Canadian Blood Services organization.

JoAnn believes in giving back to the community. She is a former member and volunteer with the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and the federal government Communications Community Office.

Ian Parker

Ian Parker is a former CBC and CTV journalist and producer and long-time media relations and communications trainer. Mr. Parker, President of PB Communications and a Senior CEC Associate, is well-known as a host of CBC's the fifth estate national public affairs show and has many years of experience across all facets of news and current affairs programming and communications. An expert in media and communications training, he has developed and delivered a wide range of courses for government, corporate and institutional clients in Canada and the United States .

Denise Perrier

ENGLISH

Denise Perrier is a completely bilingual executive coach and communication consultant. She served in the federal public service for 20 years in various senior management positions, successively responsible for communications, federal-provincial relations, film and sound recording policy, and arts policy. After a five-year stint in the private sector at the Canadian Medical Association, Denise started her own company and built a strong and varied clientele for her strategic communication and policy abilities, facilitation services and writing expertise in French and in English.

Denise is a certified professional coach. The methodology that she applies to her coaching is based on the principles and practices of integral development, pioneered by James Flaherty (New Ventures West). NVW is recognized by the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

FRANCAIS

Denise Perrier est une coach de gestion et consultante en communication entièrement bilingue. Elle a fait carrière dans la fonction publique fédérale pendant plus de 20 ans, assumant des responsabilités de gestion supérieure dans divers domaines, dont les communications, les relations fédérales provinciales, les politiques du film et de l’enregistrement sonore, ainsi que la politique des arts. Elle a travaillé également dans le secteur privé, notamment à l’Association médicale canadienne pendant cinq ans. Elle a ensuite fondé sa propre entreprise et développé une clientèle fidèle pour des services de stratégie-conseil, de communication, d’animation et de rédaction dans les deux langues officielles.

Denise est une coach professionnelle certifiée. La méthode sur laquelle elle appuie son coaching est fondée sur l’approche intégrale telle que développée par James Flaherty (New Ventures West). NVW est une école reconnue par la International Coaching Federation (ICF).

Ratna Ray

Ratna Ray has extensive experience as a communications trainer and coach, speaker, writer, university professor and developer of policies and programs for Canadian workers. In working with both the federal and Ontario governments, she provided leadership in initiating new policies and programs with both national and international scope. For her persistent work in promoting equality in employment, Ratna received recognition in Canada, the USA and abroad. Ratna is the recipient of an inaugural award from Ontario's Attorney General for outstanding service to the administrative justice system. In this regard one of her contributions was to initiate the first ever province-wide training program for agencies, boards and commissions in Ontario. She has represented Canada's interests in international fora, facilitating agreements on ground-breaking employment standards for the benefit of workers worldwide. She has also worked as an arbitrator and mediator, serving companies and unions in a broad range of economic sectors, and has designed and delivered training workshops for small and large companies as well as organizations in the public and not-for-profit sectors. Her volunteer work includes service as chair of the Board of Governors of Humber College (Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning), a leading Ontario community college. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Ottawa and is a published author and commentator.

Vicki Schouten

Vicki Schouten is founder and CEO of Vinyl 21 Communications Inc., an Ottawa-based social media management and digital marketing agency that specializes in providing strategic advice on social media campaigns, website development and mobile marketing solutions to small and medium sized firms across North America. Her hands-on knowledge allows her to give a practical insight into the latest social media and mobile marketing tools and trends. As a CEC Associate, Vicki brings with her over 18 years marketing and communications experience in both the private and public sector in Canada and abroad. She also serves as contributing editor to a Canadian industry publication that is national in scope. Vicki holds a B.A. in Political Science from Carleton University.

Maria Sowden

Maria Sowden-Weingarden is a CEC Associate and President of TEMAS (Training Executives, Managers and Staff), which was founded in 1985. MS Sowden-Weingarden is a trainer, coach, consultant and professional speaker working in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors specializing in communications and change management, leadership, team-building and stress management and work-life balance. She works collaboratively with executives, managers and staff - individually and in teams - to create and sustain healthy working environments, attain high levels of individual and group excellence and organizational effectiveness and achieve an appropriate work-life balance.

TEMAS