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.

Stephen Goban

Stephen Goban has worked in the public, private and non-governmental sectors in Canada and the United Kingdom. A CEC director and founding partner, he has undertaken marketing and strategic communications for companies, associations and government departments. Mr. Goban is an experienced trainer and instructional materials writer and has designed and delivered a wide range of courses and workshops. He is co-author of Canadian Business Writing: A Structural Approach (2nd Edition, Thomson Nelson, Toronto ) and a Past President of the International Association of Business Communicators’ Ottawa Chapter.

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 Ottawa-Gatineau chapter and of the Executive Board of the Canadian Society for Training and Development Ottawa-Gatineau chapter.

Bob Abell

Dr. Bob Abell is President and CEO of Automated Learning Corporation (ALC), an Ottawa-based company that supplies Government and Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies with global workforce e-training solutions. A CEC Associate, he brings a background in science and research, application of technology in a learning environment, distance and distributed learning, and IT management in a University setting. Intensively involved in both education and technology for many years, Dr. Abell's expertise in educational technology, training, and/or train-the-trainer has been sought by educational institutions, governments and companies. ALC is the Centre for Excellence in Communications' e-Learning Partner.

Automated Learning Corporation (ALC)

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.
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BridgePoint Effect

Pierre Bernier

Pierre Bernier est un associé du CEC et le président des Écrits des Hautes-Terres, une maison d'édition de littérature québécoise. Il possède une bonne expérience de la puissance du Web, de son utilisation à titre d'outil de communication ainsi que des exigences de cet outil pour les écrivains et les rédacteurs. M. Bernier est un communicateur expérimenté. Il a été journaliste, conseiller en communication au Cabinet du premier ministre et auprès de députés fédéraux et de l'Assemblée nationale du Québec. Il a aussi été directeur des communications pour Katimavik, région du Québec. Outre d'être un traducteur aguerri, il a une longue feuille de route à titre de formateur, ayant formé des centaines de personnes dans les secteurs public et privé en matière de relations avec les médias, d'élaboration de plans de communication détaillés, de textes clairs, simples et efficaces.

Écrits des Hautes-Terres

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 is currently Managing Director of Web-Insight Inc., specializing in helping organizations measure and develop optimum web user experience and whose services include 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.

Web-Insight Inc

Wendy Cherwinski

Wendy Cherwinski helps people excel on the podium. As President of Echelon Communications Inc., she writes for, coaches and consults with senior executives in government, business and the not-for-profit sector. She also leads seminars and workshops on how to write speeches and presentations and design decks to communicate key messages quickly and effectively. She has spoken about her specialties at international conferences in Washington and Chicago. She also pens a blog at www.echeloncomm.ca and writes and edits Podium, a monthly e-newsletter for speech and presentation writers. A former reporter and public affairs officer, Wendy has more than 30 years of experience in many facets of communications. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from Carleton University.

Echelon Communications Inc

Claudia Chowaniec

Claudia Chowaniec, PhD, CMC works with people in the public and private sectors to help identify and implement the organizational and work changes they need to create more productive and rewarding work environments.  She specializes in strategic planning and utilizes a number of large systems change processes, including the Future Search methodology, to bring together the broad-based and diverse stakeholder community to share ideas and agree on the common ground from which they can determine what actions they want to take individually and collectively to achieve their goals. Dr. Chowaniec recently wrote a chapter, Supporting the Merger of Two School Boards:  The Ottawa Community and Public Education to 2015, published in Future Search in School District Change. Through the University of Ottawa 's Centre on Governance, she has lectured and written widely on the theme of citizen engagement.  Dr. Chowaniec is President of Precept Inc. and a CEC Associate.

Laura Cohen, M.A

A trainer and educator in the field of culture, diversity and intercultural and intergenerational communication for 15 years, Laura Cohen has worked and lived in Canada and Israel, the United States, South Africa and Tanzania. She brings to her training a deep understanding of the complexities of culture and diversity and communications in these contexts. Having lived in countries faced with the task of negotiating complex cultural terrains and managing conflict as well as working with people from diverse backgrounds, Ms Cohen expanded her field of professional interest and expertise to include the importance of culture and diversity in conflict management. She is a CEC Associate and principal of an Ottawa-based company, Culture Matters, which specializes in culture, diversity and conflict management. Ms Cohen holds a BA and an MA in Anthropology, a certificate in Adult Education and Conflict Management and a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution.

Culture Matters

Bernie Colterman
Director, Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing
President, CMG Canada

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. He is also President of CMG Canada, a firm well recognized in public and non-profit sectors for its expertise in event marketing and revenue generation. 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.

Jean-Luc Denat

Jean-Luc Denat is an expert in visual communication and a CEC Associate. He is Vice-President of Kolegram, an internationally recognized design group based in Ottawa-Gatineau, specializing in the development of brand identities, design communication and web design for private and public sector clients in Canada and abroad. Mr. Denat has many years experience in developing and transmitting visual communication techniques in a marketing and communication context.

Lise Dessaint

Rédactrice chevronnée, Lise Dessaint compte plus de 30 années d’expérience en communication.

À son propre compte depuis janvier 2004, elle offre des conseils en communication et des services de rédaction à de nombreux clients des secteurs privé et public. Ces services comprennent notamment la rédaction de discours, de présentations, de stratégies de communication, de rapports annuels et d’articles spécialisés, ainsi que la gestion d’activités médiatiques et la révision de textes.

En collaboration avec Echelon Communications, elle dirige deux ateliers : l’Art de rédiger un bon discours et l’Art de l’Exposé, dont elle a elle-même conçu les versions françaises. Elle a en outre fait plusieurs présentations sur la rédaction de discours, de communiqués et de rapports, notamment au personnel de la Chambres des communes.

Au cours de sa carrière à la Fonction publique fédérale, Lise Dessaint œuvre au sein de divers organismes dont le Bureau du surintendant des institutions financières, le Solliciteur général, Santé Canda, le Conseil privé et, en affectation, aux Nations Unies. Elle occupe divers postes de gestion en planification de communications stratégiques; en relations médiatiques; en édition; et en recherche d’opinion publique.

Ayant obtenu son diplôme de l’Université d’Ottawa en 1969, elle enseigne l’histoire et le français pendant quelques années pour ensuite se joindre au secteur des communications fédérales.

Echelon Communications Inc

Derek Ellis and Susan Perry

The team of Derek Ellis and Susan Perry of Morfa Inc. provides strategic communications support for public and not-for-profit organizations. Derek is an experienced communications consultant with extensive experience in the development of strategic information tools for reporting outcomes of conferences, workshops and meetings, ranging from multi-stakeholder cross-country initiatives to policy and regulatory development and organizational change management events. Derek works closely with clients to develop timely, practical and cost-effective solutions for multi-year strategic plans, public sector marketing, and other communication challenges. Susan is an experienced writer and editor of numerous meeting and consultation reports, strategic plans, advertising and other materials. She is the co-author of two best-selling books on not-for-profit governance, Call to Order, a book of simplified meeting rules of order, and The Board – A Winning Team. Together, Derek and Susan have the know-how to deliver quality results.

Morfa Inc

Janice Francisco

Janice Francisco is a CEC Associate and President of BridgePoint Effect, which she founded in 2001 to help managers and teams expand thinking and extend learning as they deal with the complexities of change and the challenges of communications in change contexts. Recognized as an international thought leader, she has over 20 years experience in the private, non-profit and government sectors, has provided strategic advisory services to clients orchestrating whole system change and acted as project manager and instructional designer for many large scale, national training programs. Ms. Francisco has developed particular expertise in the Information Management and Information Technology fields and conducts training and keynote presentations on a variety of topics including creative and strategic thinking skills, creative problem solving, organizational change and learning, as well as creativity and innovation in government. She holds an MSc in Creativity and Change Leadership, a Bachelor of Business Management, a diploma in adult education and is a Certified Professional Facilitator.

BridgePoint Effect

Cory Galbraith

Cory Robert Galbraith is a 30-year veteran of professional business and government writing. As the President of Galbraith Communications, he has authored hundreds of government and corporate web site reports, policies and guidelines. A former instructor on writing and media training at Carleton University and Algonquin College, he is also the developer of the "Competitive Writing Workshop" used by government economic analysts across the country over the past decade. More recently, Mr. Galbraith has managed one of Canada's largest webcast providers for government and corporate clients, including real-time captioning for people who are deaf or hard of hearing and verbatim transcripts that meet federal guidelines. An avid follower of web user trends, his proven techniques are up to date and guaranteed to save you time and money, and most importantly, get the results you need.

Galbraith Communications

Peter de Gosztonyi

Peter de Gosztonyi, PEng., Managing Director of Web-Insight and a CEC associate, is an expert in customer service and web communications. Mr. de Gosztonyi’s experience, gained over 30 years working with Bell Canada , various government departments and private sector clients, encompasses customer service, web management, strategic planning, performance measures, market research and web analytics. Mr. de Gosztonyi has presented at international conferences in England and the United States , and is Chair of the local American Society for Quality (ASQ) chapter. He is certified by the ASQ as a Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE)

Web-Insight Inc

Nathan Greenfield

CEC Associate Nathan Greenfield is a journalist, broadcaster, writer, educator and trainer in business communication. He has worked with public and private sector organizations to help develop employee writing and communication skills and teaches English and communications at Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology. The Times of London's Canadian education correspondent, Dr. Greenfield is co-author of Canadian Business Communication: A Structural Approach (2 nd Edition, Thomson Nelson, Toronto ) and author of The Battle of the Saint Lawrence: The Second World War in Canada (HarperCollins, Toronto ) and Baptism of Fire. The Second Battle of Ypres and the Forging of Canada , April 1915 (HarperCollins, Toronto ).

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

Mike Kujawski

Mike Kujawski is a passionate marketing and social media strategist who helps public sector and non-profit organizations excel. In 2005, he helped launch the Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing (CEPSM) where he leads all client digital marketing initiatives. He has recently trained staff and developed strategic social media engagement plans for Public Safety Canada, Human Resources & Social Development Canada, the National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority. Additional large-scale projects include the development of marketing/communications plans for the Department of National Defence, the Public Service Commission, the City of Burlington and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology.

A frequent international speaker and dynamic workshop instructor on social media, he created Canada’s first national workshop on developing a social media marketing strategy in a public sector setting. His Government 2.0 Best Practices Wiki & Public Sector Marketing 2.0 Blog have garnered international attention and positioned him as a leader in his field. Mike has taught business courses at Heritage College and Carleton University and often provides guest lectures at various other universities & colleges. As a supplement to his business expertise, Mike has extensive experience in web development, desktop publishing and graphic design. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business and a Web Designer Certificate from Algonquin College.

Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing

Pattie LaCroix, M.A.

Pattie LaCroix is a communications expert with a wide range of strategic experience gained from over two decades of working with organizations in Canada, the US, Africa and Asia. A CEC Associate, she is CEO of Catapult Media, a company providing strategic planning and communications services which pivot on the architecture and process of creating engaging narratives. Through Catapult Media, Ms. LaCroix delivers values-based branding, public engagement, and strategic planning services with a focus on how best to integrate the Web in moving mandates forward. She holds degrees from Carleton University and Simon Fraser University and has been named an ePhilanthropy Master Trainer (ePMT) by the ePhilanthropy Foundation based in Washington, D.C. Ms. Lacroix is a National Board Member of Canadian Crossroads International, was a contributing author to the recently published NonProfit Internet Strategies and writes a regular storytelling column for charityvillage.com.

Catapult Media

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

Richard Leduc

Richard Leduc is a CEC associate, communications consultant and a trained conflict resolution specialist with over 20 years of experience in the federal public service. Fluently bilingual, he has consulted in areas such as employment equity and diversity, interest-based conflict resolution, and conflict, project and learning management. In some 20 years as a facilitator, trainer, mediator, and HR specialist, Mr. Leduc provides broad conflict resolution expertise, with a particular focus on becoming a third party neutral, developing facilitation skills for groups in conflict, and in conflict resolution principles and practice. During his time in Canada Revenue Agency, he has facilitated close to 20 "Demystifying Conflicts in the Workplace" one-day workshops for the Human Resources Branch and has contributed to various branches’ orientation sessions on staffing and awareness in equity and diversity matters. He is a past member of the Board of Directors for the CLSC-CHSLD and a current member of the Ethics in Medical Research Committee of the CSSS. Mr. Leduc holds a Certificate in Conflict Resolution from the Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution at St. Paul University.
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Micheline Lesage

Micheline Lesage is a fully bilingual senior executive with 28 years of experience in the non-profit and federal public sector in Canada. As a former EX:04 overseeing the delivery of over sixty funding programs, she successfully developed strategic and operational plans, consulted regularly with a wide range of stakeholders across the country and worked extensively with cultural and language minorities and Aboriginal people. Since 2004, Micheline is President of Micheline Lesage & Associates, specializing in the design, delivery and facilitation of professional development training and organizational ethics workshops, the latter in partnership with the Paul Maillet CENTER FOR ETHICS. She is a senior trainer with the University of Ottawa HR Leadership management program and works regularly with the Canada School of Public Service. Micheline taught Ethics and Professional Values at La Cité Collégiale and is a member of the Ethics Practitioner's Association of Canada. A CEC Associate, Micheline completed her MBA at the University of Montreal - HEC Montreal.

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.

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. (français)

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 an M.A. in Linguistics and Professional Certified Coach credentials from the International Coach Federation, Ms. Martin often "shadows" and then coaches people who want to improve their interpersonal communications. She is the author of Stars in life: Coaching kids to success and several articles on leadership, and is currently working on her Ph. D. specializing in the language of leadership. A CEC Associate, her consulting work is in the areas of strategic communications planning and leadership development, including training leaders to embrace a "coach-approach" leadership style.

The International Coaching Centre Inc.

Jim Mintz
Director, Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing

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

James (Jim) Mintz is Director 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

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 .

Esther Schvan

Esther Schvan is a fluently bilingual consultant, trainer and facilitator with some 15 years of experience facilitating diverse groups within public and private sector organizations. She has delivered diversity and employment equity training to federal government departments including, on an on-going basis, Public Works and Government Services Canada and the Canadian Intellectual Property Office as well as to the Canadian Museum of Nature. Ms. Schvan has also delivered diversity-related training to new Canadians and speakers of English as a Second Language in various employment and self-employment initiatives. She has designed, developed and delivered hundreds of workshops, speaks seven languages and has lived on three continents. She is a Certified Professional Facilitator and a graduate of McGill University.

David Sherwin

David Sherwin is an expert in the visual interpretation and expression of Brand. He is a co-founding partner of Sherwin Kaldeway, Ottawa which specializes in Brand development, management, audits and strategy for both the private and public sector. Mr. Sherwin is an experienced trainer who has designed and delivered a wide range of courses and workshops through the Continuing Education Program at Algonquin College.

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

Denis Vézina

Denis Vézina is a communications executive with over 30 years of experience in the federal public service. He has held senior communications management positions with the Canada Revenue Agency, Elections Canada, Canadian Heritage and other departments. Drawing on his experience, Mr. Vézina provides broad communications expertise and counsel with particular focus on strategic planning, public sector marketing, issues management and reputation stewardship. He is president of D.V.-CO, an Ottawa-based consulting firm offering training, executive coaching and strategic communications services in both official languages and a CEC Associate. He holds degrees in Translation, Public and International Administration.

Ryan McCurdy

Ryan McCurdy is the Centre for Excellence in Communications’ Marketing Coordinator. A graduate of the University of Ottawa in History and Political Science, Mr. McCurdy brings a hands-on approach to the CEC’s marketing needs. Be it through traditional forms or e-Marketing, he implements various new approaches to make CEC's services easily accessible to its constantly growing client base.

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.