Vincent Power. APR, FCPRS
CPRS National President
The first few months of this new Board term year which started immediately after the CPRS Annual General Meeting in September 2022 have been busy with the appointment of new Presiding Officers of our Councils and Committees on which I’d like to update you.
Membership Committee: Renee McCloskey APR, FCPRS
Renee is the Manager of External Relations for the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George in north central British Columbia, a position she has held since 2007. Prior to that, Renee worked in communication management positions in healthcare, tourism, and economic development.
Renee has a depth of experience in emergency and disaster communications, media relations and strategic communication planning. For most of her career, Renee has managed small one or two person departments so knows the challenges and opportunities that come with "small town PR”.
Renee is an accredited member of the Canadian Public Relations Society and is a member of the CPRS College of Fellows. She spent 6 years on the CPRS National Board and from 2015-2016 served as National President.
She is a founding member of the CPRS Northern Lights local society and continues to serve on the local executive, most recently as Membership Chair. Renee has been a member of the CPRS National Membership Committee since 2020.
The Board Liaison for the Membership Committee is Jane Antoniak APR.
Professional Development Committee: Conor Lloyd APR
Conor is Director, College & Public Relations and Senior Leadership Team Member at Red River College in Winnipeg.
Conor has 17 years of progressive leadership experience in post-secondary and public sector environments in senior leadership/executive roles. He also has multiple years of experience guiding military, college and not-for-profit executive teams functioning as an executive coach and strategic advisor with a focus on government relations and issues management.
Conor has served as President of CPRS Manitoba. He earned his APR in 2018. He also served on the National Conference Programming Committee and was quite active in helping to execute the National Conference in Winnipeg in June 2022.
Although accountable for all aspects of national-level Professional Development, Conor will focus his time on regular PD programming for the Society, developing a sustaining model to ensure we have an ongoing menu of learning opportunities available to members. He will also connect with Local Society PD Chairs to ensure we are optimizing PD opportunities across the country. Conor’s portfolio includes the oversight of National Conference Programming but the day-to-day work in this area will be championed by Deputy Presiding Officer Tatiana Chabeaux-Smith so that the Society can enjoy a substantial National Conference without losing focus on a consistent regular offering of PD opportunities.
The Board Liaison for the Professional Development Committee is Guy Versailles APR, FCPRS.
Accreditation Council: Tom Ormsby APR
Tom was most recently Director, Communications with Irving Shipbuilding (until September, 2022). He has held senior Communications posts at De Beers Canada and Natural Resources Canada since 2004. Prior to that, Tom was Marketing Director for Golf Newfoundland and Labrador following a multi-year career with Steele Communications (VOCM Radio) in St. John’s.
Tom earned his APR in 2013 and renewed his Accreditation Maintenance most recently in 2021. He has served CPRS as President of CPRS Calgary, as a Board Member of CPRS Toronto and as a member of the National Committee on Advocacy and Public Relations.
Tom has led teams that have been recognized with three international, five national and three regional awards for Internal Communications and Issues/Crisis Management including eight CPRS Awards of Excellence.
The Board Liaison for the Accreditation Council is Danielle Côté APR.
Governance Committee: Margaret Pearcy APR, LM
Margaret has most recently served the Society as Presiding Officer of the Accreditation Council, a position she has held since 2019. She also served as Presiding Officer of the Major and Special Awards Committee from 1986 to 1998.
Margaret joined CPRS in 1980, a member of the Ottawa-Gatineau local society. She served as President of that local society from 1984 to 1986 and again in 2016/17. In that time, Margaret earned her APR, assisted on national task forces, and was named national coordinator for the 1987 Governor General’s Canadian Study Conference. She co-chaired the CPRS National Conference (held in Ottawa) in 2000 and was named a Life Member in 2018.
Margaret was Director, Communications and Public Affairs, Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, a position she held until 2016. Prior to that, she also served as Manager, then Director, of Communications and Public Affairs, Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation. Margaret opened the Ottawa office of National Public Relations and served as its Director. She began her career at Canada News Wire (now Cision).
The Board Liaison for the Governance Committee is Matt Wood APR.
Outgoing Presiding Officers:
I’d like to thank and acknowledge the immense contribution of our outgoing Presiding Officers and their commitment to the success of the Society: Tim Conrad, APR (Professional Development), Margaret Pearcy APR, LM (Accreditation Council) and Sharlene Smith APR, FCPRS LM (Governance). In order not to have Members wonder why I did not mention the previous Presiding Officer of the Membership Committee…well, that was me and what we accomplished had much to do with the Members of the Committee which included new Presiding Officer Renee McCloskey and I thank her, in advance, for leading this important portfolio.
Thank you to all our new appointees and also to the Presiding Officers and Task Force Chairs who continue to serve CPRS to ensure that the work that most benefits our Members continues. You can see all our Leaders on the CCTF page. We could not do what we do without you!
https://www.cprs.ca/About/Who-We-Are/Councils,-Committees-and-Task-Forces-(1)