National committee chairs and other positions 2022–23

AWARDS COORDINATOR

Monica Laane-Fralick
Editors Kingston
I joined Editors Canada in 2018 while completing my Editing Certificate through SFU. I began as the Volunteer of the Month (now Featured Volunteer) profile writer and then took on the volunteer management committee chair role for two years. Recently, I started an editing business and currently work as a curriculum writer, assistant course developer and editor for online courses at Equine Guelph (where I also obtained my Diploma in Equine Sciences). My life is ruled by my three rescued Golden Retrievers, and when they allow me, I like to spend time birdwatching, gardening, snowshoeing or rescuing other Goldens.

CAREER BUILDER COMMITTEE

Glenna Jenkins
Editors Atlantic
I am an academic editor for scholars who are non-native English speakers and writers. I provide copy and stylistic editing as well as assistance with manuscript organization.

Lynne Melcombe
Editors British Columbia
I started out as a freelance journalist over 30 years ago. I have worked in communications and publishing for over 25 years. My editing skills include developmental, substantive, stylistic, and copy editing and proofreading. My book clients range from self-publishing novices to seasoned authors, and I also work on government, post-secondary, non-profit and corporate documents. I offer seminars/webinars and especially enjoy coaching new writers. I live in a house with a big garden in Port Moody, BC, and work with a small, furry associate named Tessa.

CERTIFICATION STEERING COMMITTEE

Saleh Waziruddin
Editors Hamilton-Halton
I am a freelance academic and non-fiction editor in the Niagara region of Ontario with a STEM and public policy/municipal government background. I've taken the academic and professional editing course at Queen's University. I am South Asian and involved locally in anti-racism organizations. Though born in Quebec, I lived abroad for most of my childhood.

COMITÉ AGRÉMENT/PRINCIPES

Vacant

CONFERENCE ADVISER

Breanne MacDonald
Editors Hamilton-Halton
I am a graduate of Ryerson University's publishing program and have been an in-house editor (with some freelance work on the side) since 2010. I am currently a technical editor at ASCENT, working primarily on engineering software training materials. I received the President's Award in 2015 and have been an active member of Editors Canada at both the local and national levels. I have served on the national executive council since 2015 and have been involved with the conference committee in some capacity since 2014.

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

Suzanne Bowness
Editors Toronto
I am a Toronto-based freelance writer/editor with over 20 years of experience. I have written journalism for a variety of publications and as founder of CodeWord Communications (www.codeword.ca) specialize in content creation and strategy with a strong narrative element. I hold a PhD in English and am a part-time writing professor at Humber College. I recently served a two-year term as director of communications for Editors Canada.

Maylon Gardner
Editors British Columbia
I graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2016 with a certificate in publishing that focused on editing and proofreading. From there, I went on to work at small presses as a freelance copy editor and established a solid client base with a few corporate websites where I could apply my previous business-related skills. As I became more comfortable working with manuscripts, I launched my website and began to offer manuscript assessments—my favourite form of editing. When I'm not working, I like to relax with gardening, hiking, snowboarding, reading or video games.

THE EDITORS' WEEKLY

Beau Brock
Editors Ottawa–Gatineau 
I have been passionate about the beauty and power of words for as long as I can remember. Thanks to a demanding English teacher during my senior year of high school, I made the decision to study linguistics, and never looked back: after completing my undergraduate degree in French, I spent a year teaching abroad in France, and then did an MA in Romance Linguistics at UBC and a PhD in French Linguistics at UT. Since 2016, I have been the senior English revisor then manager of official languages, training and development at Nations Translation Group in Ottawa.

EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ADVISER

Amber Riaz
Editors British Columbia
I am committed to working with and amplifying voices of authors and editors self-identifying as BIPOC/racialized, or as members of LGBTQ2S+ communities connected to Canada and across genres. My goals as equity, diversity and inclusion adviser focus on continuing to work on developing and implementing strategies that consistently prioritize and amplify the work of members of the Editors Canada community who are traditionally marginalized. I work with the national executive council on matters related to equity, diversity and inclusion especially in relation to student affiliates and members. My goals include identifying and establishing productive relationships with members and associations focused on EDI matters.

EXTERNAL LIAISON

Heather Buzila, Editors Canada past president
Editors Edmonton
I began my editing career in 2007 and am a certified copy editor and stylistic editor with Editors Canada. I currently work at Athabasca University in Edmonton, where I edit materials for online courses in humanities and social sciences. I've also edited fiction and nonfiction book manuscripts, professional development modules for the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta, and website materials for diverse organizations.

FACEBOOK GROUP MODERATORS

Joanne Haskins
Editors Toronto
I learned the fundamentals of editing and publishing at a national trade magazine, leaving as managing editor. I now help a variety of clients — including self-publishing authors, non-profits, governmental bodies, and businesses — with my own editing, writing and design company, Think Communications. I've been an Editors Canada member since 1997 and have volunteered in a variety of roles, including the redesign and production of the Toronto-branch newsletter and pilot-testing the copy-editing certification exam.

@thinkcomjo

Lenore Hietkamp
Editors British Columbia
Profile to come

FRANCOPHONE ADVISER

Badou Bousso
Editors Ottawa–Gatineau
I joined Editors Ottawa–Gatineau in 2015 and became the branch’s chair of francophone relations in 2019. I live in Gatineau and am a professional translator, language instructor and editor who has worked both in-house and as a freelancer for the nearly two decades. I currently work as content coordinator for a not-for-profit organization in Ottawa. In this capacity, I create, update and edit internal content. I am also a contributor to the organization's website. 

I am a Certified Knowledge Manager (CKM) and I use my expertise to foster collaboration, learning and process improvement. From 2012 to 2019, I received several Ottawa Regional Contact Centre (ORCCA) awards. I am an avid fan of classical literature and hope to one day finish my PhD studies in francophone literature. I speak four languages and am eager to improve my Arabic.

HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Maria Frank, Editors Canada president
Editors Edmonton
I have worked as an editor since 2008. I have been both a freelance editor and an in-house editor, editing government documents, K–12 study materials, fiction and non-fiction manuscripts, and corporate communications. I currently work for Athabasca University and edit primarily content for undergraduate- and graduate-level business courses.

I am an editor because I am passionate about language and the power of the word. I am particularly interested in the application of language to reflect cultural values and effect positive social change.

Outside of editing, I am passionate about powerlifting, photography and learning new languages.

LIST MONITOR

Josée Marie-Lise Robillard
Editors Québec
I have a multidisciplinary degree from the University of Sherbrooke, through the accumulation of four certificates, including one in editing. Since 2008, I have been freelancing through my company, L'Atelier JML, working mainly in Web writing and journalism. I am currently looking to carve out a niche for myself with publishers, focusing on the medical field, Canadian history and Northern culture. In 2007, I won first prize in a literary contest. In 2008, one of my articles was ranked in the top 10 in a competition organized by the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians.

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

Merel Elsinga
Editors British Columbia
I have a background in (Dutch) law and a post-professional lingering passion for sailing and cooking. I am a plain language writer since my law career before the millennium change and a freelance proofreader of mostly non-fiction since 2019. In 2020 I joined Editors Canada and I have been volunteering at the local and national levels since then. I completed the SFU editing program in October 2021. My career mission is to help lawyers in the private sector create plain language contracts. My Editors Canada mission is to create more awareness for our association.

MEDIATOR

Jane Kidner, B.A., J.D., LL.M. (ADR), C.Med. 
I started my career as a litigation lawyer before transitioning to a 20-year career as a communications/marketing manager at the University of Toronto and then Ryerson University.  At U of T, I was editor of a semi-annual magazine and led several large portfolios through innovation, transition and organizational change. Along the way, I became a certified mediator and a leadership coach, and continue to be a lifelong learner of conflict resolution and conflict resolution strategies.

MENTORSHIP COMMITTEE

Risha Gotlieb
Editors Toronto
I'm primarily a journalist whose work has been featured in The Toronto Star, The Globe & Mail, Reader's Digest, Chatelaine and Maclean's, among others. As an editor I've worked both in-house and freelance—it's been an eclectic ride that included working for newspapers, a university, a major corporation and an ad agency. I have a degree in journalism and am also affiliated with the American Society of Journalists & Authors.

MEMBER SERVICES COMMITTEE

Lenore Hietkamp
Editors British Columbia
Profile to come.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

Heather Buzila, Editors Canada past president
Editors Edmonton
I began my editing career in 2007 and am a certified copy editor and stylistic editor with Editors Canada. I currently work at Athabasca University in Edmonton, where I edit materials for online courses in humanities and social sciences. I've also edited fiction and nonfiction book manuscripts, professional development modules for the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta, and website materials for diverse organizations.

PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE

Paula Chiarcos
Editors Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph
I joined Editors Canada shortly after graduating from the University of California's Professional Sequence in Editing program. I edit mostly fiction at Iguana Books in Toronto and at Moon River Editing. When I'm not working, my kids and garden keep me busy. I also love backcountry camping and canoeing, cooking dishes from all over the world, and playing Netrunner with my husband.

Josephine Mo
Editors Toronto
I launched my second career—in publishing—after nearly a decade in the non-profit sector and years of editing friends' essays, CVs and cover letters. I completed Ryerson's Certificate in Publishing in December 2020 and have been a member of Editors Canada since March 2020, beginning as a student affiliate. Since becoming a member, I've attended webinars and volunteered to copy edit articles for the Editors Toronto BoldFace blog. I'm currently employed as an acquisitions assistant at Canadian Scholars. When I'm not working, I'm reading (fantasy, magical realism, historical fiction), watching horror movies, eating spicy foods and bothering my cat.

STANDARDS COMMITTEE

Berna Ozunal
Editors Toronto
I'm a Certified Professional Editor and currently an independent contractor working mostly with non-profits. I've been teaching editing at George Brown College since 2016. In early 2020, I participated as a mentor in the John Eerkes-Medrano Mentorship Program. Since 2012, I've been volunteering for Editors Canada at the local and national levels. I'm excited by the important work being done to rethink and improve Editors Canada's membership benefits. This year, my objective is to support ongoing efforts to make our Professional Editorial Standards and professional certification exams even more relevant and accessible for editors in Canada and around the world.

STUDENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE

Michelle Noble
Editors Hamilton-Halton
I became an Editors Canada student affiliate in 2020, after I decided to make a midlife career change from social work to freelance editing. I'm currently finishing up the last few courses of the Publishing Certificate at Toronto Metropolitan University and launching my freelance business. I copy edit and proofread non-fiction (with an affinity for the social sciences) and I also love to help clients craft compelling web content. I'm passionate about social justice and accessibility, and the ways that these issues intersect with editing. I beta read to get my fiction fix, and I spend a lot of my free time reading, reviewing and collecting books. I also enjoy digging in my garden, indulging my inner neurodivergent nerd, and hanging out with my family and our rescue animals.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Greg Ioannou
Editors Toronto
Colborne Communications
I've been a freelancer since 1977, and have taught editing all over the place. I was a founding member of (F)EAC and have had all sorts of positions on the executive, including president three times and treasurer six times (yikes!). In real life I own and run a writing and editing company called Colborne Communications, where my office is populated with moose paraphernalia. I'm also the publisher at Iguana Books. More importantly, I captain a team in a weekly trivia league, and frequent local pubs and stamp auctions.

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Ren Baron
Editors Toronto
I am a Toronto-based freelance editor new to Editors Canada. I primarily edit academic work in the Humanities and Social Sciences, with a particular focus in film studies and international relations. In 2018, I graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in History, East Asian Studies and Spanish, and I will complete my Editorial Skills Certificate at George Brown College this spring (2022). My favourite fiction genres are fantasy and mystery, and I'm currently learning how to play platformer video games for the first time in my life.