Happy New year everyone! Talk about starting the new year off with a bang…
It’s only been a week and we’re already incredibly
#CPRSproud thanks to our colleague
Daniel Granger, APR, FCPRS, CM who has been nominated as a member of the prestigious
Order of Canada on December 27 recognizing his work in communications and dedication to sport – in particular,
the Special Olympics. The Order of Canada is the centrepiece of Canada's honours system and recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. This is such a well-deserved and remarkable honour and I hope you’ll join me in congratulating him on this outstanding achievement.
Daniel’s been passionately representing CPRS for years and has served as both CPRS National president and presiding officer of the College of Fellows -- to name just a few of his many roles. Now he’s one of the fewer than .02 per cent of Canadians to join the Order of Canada in its 52-year history. We are beyond proud to see Daniel become our fourth
CPRS thought leader to be bestowed this incredible honour joining Luc Beauregard, APR, FCPRS, CM, Edsel Bonnell, APR, FCPRS(H), CM and Pierre Tremblay, APR, FCPRS, OC, each of whom contributed to the Society’s reputation of thought leadership and dedication to the highest professional standards. We strive to increase our professionalism and impact as communicators every day and this goes to show how respected our work can be.
Congratulations Daniel and thank you for all you’ve done for elevating communications and the Canadian Public Relations Society over the years. Well deserved!
We hope you’re inspired by Daniel’s accomplishments and make a point of taking stock at what you can do this year to increase your level of professionalism and impact. You have 6 weeks to finalize your award submission and submit to the
2019 CPRS National Awards of Excellence. Our awards showcase the very best work in Canadian communications, and year after year we continue to see how our members come up with new ways to increase their impact and the measurable outcomes of their amazing efforts. Be sure to mark your calendar as entries are due February 25.
And don’t forget to also take a moment to think about those fellow CPRS members who give tirelessly of themselves and consider nominating them for one of our
Major awards. The submission requirements are due by March 31 and we need your help in recognizing the tremendous work being done by our members across the country.
In a few weeks we’ll be celebrating our members who have accomplished another incredibly important goal -- earning their accreditation (APR). This year’s accreditation cycle started Dec. 1, and it looks like we have another promising cohort on our hands so best of luck everyone over the next year! Please join us at the
National Conference in Edmonton this June 2 (Evolving Expectations) where we’ll celebrate the new APRs, network and learn some inside tricks from top tier speakers and presenters.
Remember, great journeys start with small steps, so we’ll be delivering all sorts of professional development activities for CPRS members on all rungs of our Credentialing ladder:
- Junior members, maybe try your hand at the PRK Exam;
- Senior accredited members, ascend to the College of Fellows just as Marc Angers, APR, FCPRS recently did successfully;
- All members, be sure to keep your skills up to date and take in as many PD events and webinars as you can. Gain and hone the skills you need to stay relevant and meet evolving expectations.
Happy New Year and happy climbing!
Dana Dean, APR, FCPRS LM
CPRS National President