Communications + Public Relations Foundation Announces New Board Members

TORONTO, June 29, 2015 /CNW/ - The Communications + Public Relations Foundation (CPRF), Canada's leading charitable organization that unites business, academic and public relations leaders in the advancement of public relations education and research, has elected its new board members and officers for the 2015/2016 term. The CPRF will be governed by:

Officers
Chair - Robert Paddon, APR, MA, MBA; Executive Vice President Strategic Planning and
          Stakeholder Relations, Translink, Vancouver
1st Vice-Chair - Marlene Klassen, APR, FLMI; Assistant Vice President, Great-West Life,
          Winnipeg
2nd Vice-Chair – Yanik Deschênes, LLB, ARP, Independent Public Relations Consultant,
          Montreal
Secretary-Treasurer, Laura Balbinot, CPA, CMA, B.Com, Financial Management Accountant,
          Toronto

Directors
Nancy Arab, APR, ABC, FCPRS, Vice President, NATIONAL Public Relations, Calgary
Robert Batherson, BPR, Sr. Vice-President, Colour, Halifax
Lydia Boyko, APR, PhD, Professor, Bachelor of Public Relations program, School of
          Media Studies and Information Technology, Humber College Institute of 
          Technology & Advanced Learning, Toronto
Steve Crombie, Vice President, Corporate & Stakeholder Governance, Insurance Corporation 
          of British Columbia, North Vancouver
Ken Evans, Managing Partner, APEX Public Relations Inc., Toronto
Bruce MacLellan, MA, APR, FCPRS, CEO and Chair, Environics Communications Inc.,
          Toronto
David Milliken, Retired Vice President, CNW Group, Toronto
Andrew Molson, BA, MSc., Chairman, RES PUBLICA, Montreal
Blair Peberdy, BA, APR, FCPRS, Associate, Corporate Practice, Weber Shandwick, Toronto
Mark Seland, APR, Government & Public Affairs Advisor, Calgary
Jean-Claude Torchia, President and CEO, Torchia Communications, Montreal

In addition, the Foundation has established an Advisory Council to the Board to be chaired by Gordon K. McIvor, PhD, APR, FCPRS, Cambridge, independent public relations consultant, and current President of the Empire Club of Canada.

"For more than three and a half decades, the Communications + Public Relations Foundation has played an important role supporting our industry through original academic research and supporting the endeavors of young people, through scholarships and awards, as they prepare to enter the profession", said Robert Paddon. "Now more than ever, as technology is changing our world and our practice, we need to understand what is driving change.  I am looking forward to engaging in a new dialogue with the people in our practice and ensuring that the research we support is of value to the next generation of communications professionals."   

The Foundation supports the funding of a variety of scholarships, awards, and prizes for undergraduate public relations students at colleges and universities across Canada as well as supporting an annual lecture in partnership with the Canadian Public Relations Society at its national conference.  The Foundation also grants funds to the conduct of original communications and public relations research by academics and graduate students, and currently is funding a project conducted by Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, around measurement and evaluation of social media tools, to be completed in late 2015.

Major corporate donors include Environics Communications Inc., Great West Life Assurance Company, NATIONAL Public Relations, CP Rail, Tim Hortons, Imperial Tobacco Canada, APEX Public Relations, TD Financial, Weber Shandwick, Argyle Communications, J.D. Irving Ltd, Cameco Corporation, Morin relations publiques, Leger Marketing, Teck Resources Ltd, CN, Desjardins, Molson Coors Canada, among others.  In addition, the Foundation is funded by the gifts of public relations practitioners across Canada.

About the CPRF
The Communications + Public Relations Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable organization that is committed to increasing public knowledge and awareness of the role of communications and public relations by providing support to educational initiatives that advance the profession. It promotes an advancement of communications and public relations as a vital function in society and is dedicated to the public interest. For more information, visit the Foundation web site: www.CPRFoundation.ca

SOURCE Communications + Public Relations Foundation

Barbara Sheffield, APR, FCPRS, Executive Director, Phone: [phone], Email: [email protected]