On behalf of Canadian magazines from coast to coast, Magazines Canada thanks these outstanding volunteers for their contributions in 2013.
Immee Chee Wah is Vice President of Business Planning at Rogers Publishing. She oversees production and logistics for all Rogers magazines and is also responsible for regulatory matters. Immee has held various roles in publishing, including Group Circulation Director and Vice President, Business Development. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the Western Executive Program. Currently she serves on the board of directors of Access Copyright and the Blue Box Committee of Magazines Canada.
Darren Bernaerdt is Coordinator for the Publishing Program at Langara College and Publisher of Pacific Rim Magazine. He is a strong believer in ongoing education as a key element in achieving one’s career goals and actively supports his students in their educational journey. In the latter half of 2012 and through 2013 he was the Treasurer for the Magazine Association of BC.
Emily Ursuliak is the fiction editor for filling Station magazine and was previously the coordinator for filling Station's monthly community writing event "Hot Dates with Blank Pages." She is also an executive producer for the literary radio show Writer's Block where she interviews local and visiting writers. Emily recently graduated from the University of Calgary with her Master of Arts in English where she worked on both her first novel and collection of poetry.
Deborah Morrison is CEO of Canada's National History Society. She was appointed to the History Society in 2002 and has introduced several program extensions in addition to Kayak: Canada's History for Kids since her arrival. They include Teaching Canada's History/Innover en Classe, an educator's magazine; a children's illustrated story-writing contest; historical travel tours, as well as several book projects, including 100 Days That Changed Canada, which was Amazon's top-selling history book for the 2011 Christmas season. She has been involved with the Manitoba Magazine Publishers Association since 2004 and currently serves as past president.
Melony Ward is publisher of Canada's History magazine and Kayak: Canada's History for Kids. She is on the magazine advisory committee for the Ontario Media Development Corporation. She has served on the board of directors of Magazines Canada, and has a long track record of success with niche print and online media. Her current volunteer activities include marketing strategy in the political arena and fundraising for the health-care sector.
Thom Knowles is a freelance graphic designer and a specialist at the Halifax Apple Store. Before beginning a career in communication arts, Thom trained as an English teacher at Mount Saint Vincent University. From there, he studied graphic design at Nova Scotia Community College, graduating with the Highest Achievement award. Thom worked for four years as a designer at the award-winning Saltscapes magazine, during which time he became a member of the board at the Atlantic Magazines Association. Aside from his design pursuits, Thom is a singer-songwriter in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he lives with his wife and two-year-old daughter.
Note: Magazines du Québec (AQEM) did not announce a Volunteer of the Year for 2013.
Last Update: Tuesday, May 20, 2014