Conference team

Christine LeBlanc (Fox), conference co-chair

I started Dossier Communications in 2005, after a decade in publishing. A true word nerd, I work on just about anything with words—books, brochures, journals, manuals, posters, reports, websites, etc. I'm also involved with event planning, from product launches to fundraisers.

For two years I was the NCR programs/speaker night co-chair, then for two more years I was the branch chair. Now I'm conference co-chair and I invite you to join us in Ottawa June 1–3, 2012!

I've been writing and editing for the federal government for 11 years. Topics I've worked on include food safety, animal health, plant health, biotechnology, ethics and government, and pandemic flu. I also developed, implemented and lead a plain language project at my workplace, where I specialize in plain language editing.

I recently served on the executive of the NCR branch for two years. Now I am the co-chair of Conference 2012, as well as being on the national executive council. And I volunteer with Not Just Tourists—Ottawa, a non-profit group that helps travellers deliver medicine to countries in need.

Anne-Marie Deraspe (Wapiti), translator and editor

Just as it says in a song by Jean Ferrat that some readers may know, I began writing and editing somewhat by accident when I was teaching French at the secondary level.

My happy adventure with words began in 1996 through a job that involved rewriting, writing and editing for Coffragants, a new publishing house that specialized in audio books. I will always be grateful to my first editor, Hélène Dansereau, who skilfully made me aware of the demands of in-depth editing. Since then it has been a never-ending learning experience but one that is always exciting.

As a freelancer for 10 years, I did editing, writing and translation for various private- and public-sector organizations in the areas of health, the arts and communications. I was responsible for  the writing and translation of several publications. Since January 2008, I have been an employee of LGS, an IBM company.

Born in the Magdalene Islands, I have spent most of my adult life in Montreal as a real city dweller. My tastes and pleasures are eclectic: I love the sound of the sea, the noise of waves, cities at night, jazz, trees and the stars. Aside from Montreal, my favourite cities are Paris for inspiration and perspective, New York for its ebullience and excesses and Lisbon for the hold that a seaside city has on the imagination.

Beverly Ensom (Bee), Ottawa experience coordinator, conference webmaster

A certified copy editor, Bev works part-time at the House of Commons and part-time freelance, for The Conference Board of Canada and several other national organizations. She has sat on EAC’s national and branch executives and done lots of volunteer work for the EAC certification and publications committees.

In her spare time, Bev volunteers for various organizations that help with children and adults at risk, as well as skiing in winter and playing tennis in the summer.

She looks forward to welcoming EAC members to her wonderful city this spring.

I’ve toiled as an editor and writer in communications, journalism, and public relations for 30 years, and am one of the lucky few to have worked with northern Canadians, including Inuit in Nunavut, and travelled there. I joined EAC in 2003, launched M.E.S. Editing and Writing Services a year later, became an EAC-certified proofreader and copy editor, and volunteered with the EAC National Capital Region branch. After finally figuring out how to navigate federal procurement, I published a book on the topic, Getting Work with the Federal Government: A guide to figuring out the procurement puzzle, and give workshops as well. Today, my clients include the Library of Parliament, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Natural Resources Canada, and other Government of Canada departments.

Danielle has been an editor and writer since 2001. She has worked in-house as a plain language editor for the Ontario Securities Commission and as senior editor for Standard & Poor’s. As a freelance editor, Danielle’s work ranges from equity research and investor communications to trade fiction and young adult novels. As a writer, Danielle has written about personal finance and investing for several national trade and consumer magazines. She joined EAC in 2001.

I’ve been a freelance editor and writer for some 25 years and a Certified Professional Editor since 2010. My clients have included governments, think-tanks, universities and school boards, non-profits, professional and industry associations, book publishers, and private individuals. In an earlier career, I taught high-school French and German, as well as adult ESL.

I’ve belonged to EAC since the second year of its existence and have given professional-development seminars for the Toronto branch and several national conferences, written columns on language and grammar for the branch newsletter, and twice been a finalist for the Fairley Award. Recently I’ve helped review a chapter of Editing Canadian English for the next edition of the book.

I am a long-time resident of Toronto Island. In my spare time I sing in a choir, ride horses, and garden.

 Jacquie Dinsmore (Safari guide), director, training and development

After a stint in the film business (festivals, distribution and film shoots) I returned to my love of words and began a career as a freelance translator and reviser.

I have been an active member of EAC for over 10 years and am presently Director of Training & Development on the National Executive Committee, which means I have the delightful job of sitting back and watching this committee create a first-rate conference from the ground up. An enviable task.

Jenny Green (Lynx), volunteer coordinator

Jenny Green has been a writer and editor for the past three decades, establishing Canada’s first stand-alone book section for the Ottawa Citizen, and editing the book, Ottawa’s Repast: 150 Years of Food and Drink. She was project manager for this award-winning social history of Canada’s capital, overseeing every stage from acquiring an ISBN number to tackling the recipe index. (Would pemmican be considered an appetizer or a lunch-box treat?)

Ms. Green has now established Catchword Editing. She took her EAC examinations in stylistic editing and copy editing in 2011.

 
Kristen Dolenko (Falcon), photographer

My love of language extends back to pre-literate days when I’d rather hear a story re-told than waste time napping. It led me towards a degree in English literature, a brief career in film production (I wanted to write and direct) and then on to various roles in Canadian film policy and advocacy.

Most recently, I have applied my writing skills to labour market-based policy for the federal government here in Ottawa and am interested in pursuing an even broader range of writing and editing opportunities in the years to come.

Linda Landry (Raven), translator

Linda Landry grew up in a bilingual Northern Ontario home with constant wordplay in English and French. She graduated from the University of Toronto in English Literature and took a second degree, in education, as a francophone at the University of Ottawa.

Now, after more than two decades' work in language and literature programs, she offers copy editing and proofreading through her firm, LandryOttawa.

I've been a part-time freelance editor and proofreader since 2005, taking on projects ranging from political science magazines to academic articles on engineering. In my day job I work for the federal government, where I've managed to make it my responsibility to edit most of my program's publications and communications materials even though editing is nowhere to be found in my official job description.
 
Outside of work, I'm a Girl Guide leader, a foster parent for the Humane Society, a traveller and scuba diver, a hockey player, and a quilter (though not necessarily a traditional one—my current project features 25 different Muppets and involves fun fur). As this didn’t seem like enough on my plate, I'm also the membership co-chair for the NCR branch.

Michelle Renaud (Siamese cat), translator

A native of Quebec, I moved to Ottawa in order to learn English and completed a BA in French literature at the University of Ottawa and a Ph.D. in sociology at Carleton University. While pursuing my education, I freelanced as a translator and continued to do so after completing my studies. I also taught sociology at Cartleton University and worked for the Research Resource Division for Refugees. I returned to Montreal in 2001 and began working as a translator/editor for a civil society organization specializing in women’s issues.

In my spare time, I volunteer to teach French to immigrant children. I joined the EAC in 2011 and recently began doing volunteer work for the association.

Nancy Holland (Bear), Halifax conference 2013 chair

I’m a technical writer who edits and does some instructional design work, specializing in online education for corporations. I joined EAC in 1997 and started volunteering almost immediately at our table at Word on the Street in Halifax. I’ve been the Atlantic rep to the QAC for a number of years, was treasurer of the Toronto branch for a year, and spent two years as the QAC rep to the NEC. I’m now the 2013 conference chair.

My world revolves around running, though. I’m the director of Run Nova Scotia, race director of the Rum Runners’ Relay, volunteer coordinator of the Cabot Trail Relay, on the organizing committee of the MacPass Mile, and I’m a running coach.

Pauline Côté (Deer), translator

When I was younger, I thought my career path was clearly marked out. I would carry on the family tradition: to be a teacher. Like mother, like daughter. It’s what I did for a few years, until a chain of events brought me to editing and translation.

I am self-employed and working under the registered name Les textes de l’Écritoire. From my other life, I kept a great interest in everything relating to children, especially autism spectrum disorders.

I have been an EAC member since 2001. I am also a certified translator (OTTIAQ, ATIO) and a certified copywriter (SQRP).

Pierrette Brousseau (Chimpanzee), translator

Along with having been a staffing professional for 26 years (16 years as owner until 2011), I indulge in my passion for the written word. I am now a full-time “word nerd.” My firm, Trilinguis, provides bilingual writing, editing, translation, and document design services, offering linguistic expertise in the following areas: public and corporate administration, labour law, human resources, health and medical, harassment investigations, and food and wine.

I am currently a part-time bilingual editor for the House of Commons Parliamentary Publications Unit.

I have been an EAC member for six years and have enjoyed being part of the 2012 conference committee.

Editing Plus offers editing and creative writing services to business. Ross specializes in marketing and human resources categories. In addition to editing, Ross has seasoned experience in copy writing, original compositions, planning documents, manuals, and various types of special occasion speeches and tributes. Globally, Ross has applied his writing and consultancy expertise to the private and public sectors in 35 countries.

Ross is currently the vendor fair and games coordinator for the EAC national conference. He wishes that folks would stop reminding him that The Leafs are really a lousy team.

Sharilynn Wardrop (Marten), member speaker coordinator

I am trained as a biologist and have over 15 years of experience in research, education, and communication. I currently specialize in science communication and have been working as a freelance writer and editor since 2008. My projects include highly technical peer-reviewed publications, more general texts destined for teaching materials or the general public, and government documents. I particularly love to work at the developmental or structural level of editing, where I can work creatively with an author to shape a document. Many of my clients are foreign scientists—primarily from France—who want help crafting their publications in English. I’m am quite passionate about plain language, and about using it to make complex documents more accessible.

I have only been a member of the EAC for a few months, but love it so much that I’m already diving in as a volunteer.

Wael Elazab is particularly keen about science and technology, but it’s his love of lifestyle, news, and fashion magazines that led him to become an editor. Raised on The Economist style guide, he resisted AP’s, fell in love with NYT’s, and then wrote his own for an International Herald Tribune daily.

He believes in multimedia. He encourages digital solutions whenever they fit.

Also, he sees creative design, vibrant social media and straight talk as the way forward.

Wendy Carroll (Puffin), communications co-coordinator

I started working in corporate communications in 2001, first in the nursing field and then in the medical field. I became a member of EAC in 2004 and enjoyed the editing aspects of my work so much and I opted to become a professional editor. I joined the Publications department at the Canadian Medical Association in 2007 as a Manuscript Editor for the Canadian Medical Association Journal, and I am now the Managing Editor of two of the Association's specialty journals: Canadian Journal of Surgery and Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience.

I earned my Certified Professional Editor designation in 2010 and accept some freelance contracts in my “spare” time.

When I’m not editing or parenting, I read “for dessert”—there’s nothing like burying your nose in a wonderful novel!

Beth Macfie (Sunfish), coordinator, Beds for Eds

I'm a freelance editor (certified in stylistic editing, copy editing and proofreading) and indexer based in Western Quebec. I joined EAC in 1996, and I've served on the national executive council and the National Capital Region branch executive (professional development and branch chair). I'm currently co-chair of EAC's Publications Committee, along with Anne Louise Mahoney.

My clients include a variety of federal government departments, as well as publishers and a research organization. I also teach workshops on editorial skills and business networking.

I enjoy learning about local and family history, rowing my antique dinghy, jogging and practising my French-language skills.

Further Conference Information

Registration

Speakers

Conference photos

News and updates

Volunteer opportunities

Ottawa experience

Sponsorship opportunities

Conference mascots

Conference buddies

Accommodation and travel

Conference events

Sessions

Conference team

Congrés 2012