IABC Member Meetup: Communications Career Showcase

🚀 Ready to excel in your communications career and need to figure out where your new or growing skills could take you? IABC Ottawa has you covered!

Come to our April 30 member meetup to take part in our Communications Career Showcase, a special speed networking event featuring local professionals working at agencies, consultancies, governments, nonprofits and corporates, and from all areas of communications: media/PR, social media, management, policy, education, and everything in between. You do not need to be an IABC member to attend this event!

Whether you’re new to the field, a student exploring your options, or looking for a career shift, our presenters are sure to have some advice and great experiences to share with you.

IABC board members will be on hand to answer your questions about joining IABC or getting more involved - a great step to take in pursuit of your communications career!

🎁All attendees will be entered into a draw to win a one-year Results Map® System subscription with a coaching session with Caroline Kealey! Transform the impact and performance of your communications with the Results Map by improving strategic focus, strengthening alignment & integration, and demonstrating results.

Your entry fee includes one drink ticket and light snacks. Spaces are limited, so get your ticket today!

Meet our comms leaders

We're excited to welcome the following communications leaders you will be able to network with at the event:

Sherry Aske, Senior Communications Advisor (Team Lead) Social Media, Elections Canada and IABC Ottawa President

Sherry Aske is an innovative digital communicator who advises on social media strategy and countering false information in the online environment. She joined Elections Canada in 2018, after spending six years as a multimedia journalist at CBC Ottawa, producing radio, television and online news.

Christine Burke, Managing Director, Account Team, spark*advocacy

With over a decade of experience in provincial and federal governments, Christine is a seasoned problem solver and political operator.

Alysha A. Cunningham, Assistant Manager, Communications, Carleton University

Alysha has 15 years of corporate communications experience with academic and non-profit organizations. Currently, she oversees Carleton University's corporate and stakeholder communications, serving as editorial lead for Carleton Newsroom. In her role, she also provides internal strategic counsel, proactively enhances Carleton's reputation through earned & owned media, and supports emergency/crisis communications.

Annette Goerner, Director of Public Relations, spark*advocacy

Annette has more than two decades experience as a broadcast journalist. Most recently, she was the host of CTV Morning Live and News Anchor on 580 CFRA, where her ability to get to the heart of the story and make a connection with audiences garnered her accolades and recognition from within her industry and the greater community.

Timothy Jones, President & Creative Director @ Banfield

Timothy has been at Banfield, a local Ottawa marketing and advertising agency for 22 years. He holds a dual role, leading as the agency’s president as well as working directly on many of its larger clients as their Creative Director.

Andrea MacLean, Director, Communications, CHEO

With over 20 years of experience in the strategic communications healthcare field, Andrea is the director of communications at CHEO, professor at Algonquin and proudly named Ottawa's top public relations professional consecutively for three years.

Sandra Markus, Markus&Co

Sandra has held leadership roles in marketing and communications for the past twenty-plus years, both in agency and corporate communications. Most recently, Sandra has stepped out on her own under the banner of Markus & Co. Sandra is a Certified Senior Communications Management Professional (SCMP) through IABC and has a certificate in Change Leadership. She is past President of the Ottawa IABC and has taught part-time. Sandra brings a wealth of strategic planning and implementation expertise gained through practical day-to-day, on-the-ground experience in public and private marketing and communications roles.

Benjamin Woo, Associate Professor, Associate Director, School of Journalism and Communication, and Program Head, Communication and Media Studies, Carleton University

Dr. Woo researches popular media industries and their audiences. Current projects focus on comic conventions and festivals. His most recent book (with Jeremy Stoll), The Comics World: Comic Books, Graphic Novels and Their Publics, won the 2022 Best Edited Book Prize from the Comics Studies Society. He is a past president of the Canadian Society for the Study of Comics / Société canadienne pour l’étude de la bande dessinée and has held service roles with the Canadian Communication Association, Society for Cinema and Media Studies, and Fan Studies Network North America. He is currently on the editorial board of the journals Transformative Works and Cultures and Popular Communication and co-edits Concordia University Press’s new Cultural Production and Everyday Life series with Miranda Campbell.