The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) has announced the new slate of officers for its 2012–2013 international executive board. The slate has been approved by the current executive board and will be ratified by delegates of IABC chapters and regions at the annual general meeting, to be held at the association’s World Conference on 26 June in Chicago.
As the governing body of IABC, the international executive board develops the strategic plan and direction for the association under the guidance of bylaws approved by the IABC membership. The board supervises, controls and directs the affairs of the association; actively pursues IABC’s mission; determines its policy within the limits of the law, bylaws and articles of incorporation; upholds the IABC Code of Ethics; and supervises the disbursement of funds.
The slate of officers put forth by the executive board includes the following:
* ROBIN MCCASLAND – VICE CHAIR
(automatic succession to 2013–2014 chair)
McCasland is an accomplished professional who specializes in human resources (HR) communication. She owns Brain Biscuits Strategic Communication in Dallas, Texas. Before becoming an independent consultant, Robin was a director in the communication practice of Buck Consultants, a Xerox Company. Previously, she spent nearly 15 years in communication, marketing, and public relations roles with Texas Instruments Incorporated and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad.
McCasland chaired the 2011–2012 search committee for IABC’s new executive director. She is a past chair of the IABC Research Foundation and former member of IABC’s international executive board. McCasland served on the boards of the IABC Southern Region and the former IABC District 5. She has been president of the Dallas and Fort Worth IABC chapters, and was honored as IABC Dallas’s Communicator of the Year in 2000. She has received an IABC Gold Quill Award, a Silver Quill Award and several Bronze Quill Awards over the past two decades. She has also received Communicator Awards for distinction in HR communication programs. McCasland is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin.
* MICHAEL J. AMBROZEWICZ – DIRECTOR
Ambrozewicz is manager of corporate communications and diversity & inclusion at DIRECTV. He oversees global strategy communications as well as communications for employees, human resources programs and all benefit plan participants. He has won numerous awards for his communication efforts, including an IABC Gold Quill Award. His responsibilities also include managing DIRECTV’s diversity and inclusion strategy, which coordinates initiatives targeted at the company’s consumer and community marketplaces, inclusive workplace culture and diverse workforce.
Ambrozewicz served two terms as president of IABC Los Angeles, for which he was recognized with an IABC Chapter Leader of the Year honorable mention award. He holds a degree in international business administration and a degree in German studies from Loyola Marymount University. A native Californian, he lives in Los Angeles and has resided in Germany and Poland.
* TERRY CERISOLES – DIRECTOR
Cerisoles is vice president of technology communications for Turner Broadcasting System Inc. worldwide. In this role, she leads technology-focused communications for the company’s critical technical initiatives, including the build-out of the digital production facility, the rollout of TNT and CNN’s high-definition networks and, most recently, CNN’s worldwide transition to file-based production. Her articles on production facilities and workflow change management have appeared in broadcast industry trade magazines.
Last year she was honored with the Atlanta chapter’s President’s Award for leading four initiatives simultaneously. Besides serving as her chapter’s vice president of membership, she is currently the chair of the IABC Investment Committee. She is a certified “Getting Things Done” trainer, and is the national president of an animal rescue nonprofit.
* VITA KERNEL, ABC* – DIRECTOR
Kernel has more than 20 years of experience leading strategic communication projects in the media, corporate entities and consultancies. She is the founder of Studio Kernel and collaborates with the Science and Research Centre of the University of Primorska. Her work focuses on corporate communication, promotion of natural and cultural heritage, and planning and communicating sustainable development of organizations. She was the initiator of integrated reporting in Slovenia, where she lives.
Kernel has won multiple Gold Quill Awards. She was active in the re-establishment of the IABC Slovenia chapter where she held several senior positions, including that of the president in 2007–2008.
* JEFF J. BISHOP – SECRETARY/TREASURER (as a second term in this role)
Bishop has more than a dozen years of experience providing communication and public relations council to a variety of organizations. He is currently communication coordinator with Forest Products Association of Nova Scotia—the voice of the forest industry in his home province.
Bishop has been active with IABC throughout his career, including two terms as president of IABC/Maritime Canada and a term as chair of IABC/Canada East Region. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from St. Francis Xavier University, and an Advanced Diploma in Public Relations from the Nova Scotia Community College.
The 2012–2013 IABC international executive board will be comprised of:
* Chair – Kerby Meyers
* Vice-Chair – Robin McCasland
* Past Chair – Adrian Cropley, ABC
Directors
* Tom Roux
* James Lynch, ABC
* Russell Grossman, ABC
* Peter Yorke
* Kristen Sukalac
* Michael Ambrozewicz
* Jeff J. Bishop
* Terry Cerisoles
* Vita Kernel, ABC
* Gloria Walker, ABC (2012–2013 Chair of the Accreditation Committee)
* Michaela Hayes (2012–2013 Chair of the Research Committee)