As the founder and principal of CGL Communications, I help individuals and organizations communicate effectively – online, in print and in person.

Along with my trusted network of talented colleagues, I enjoy providing support with planning or executing communication strategies and tools. I also offer professional writing for all forms of media to ensure that clients’ communications are clear and compelling.

These clients include nonprofit organizations, professional service firms, government agencies, small businesses and international corporations. I’ve been working with some organizations for over a decade. For others, I provide support for single projects. I enjoy the variety and challenge of working with different organizations for different communication needs.

FOCUS ON BEST PRACTICES

Since communication concepts and practices evolve quickly, I need to ensure that my knowledge is up to speed and I have access to the world’s best communications practices. This is why I’ve been a long-time member and a volunteer with the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

I’m an Accredited Public Relations practitioner (APR) and a Life Member of CPRS and served as a student mentor and as an accreditation appeals judge. 

With IABC I received the Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) designation and served in a variety of volunteer roles. These included judging global and local communication award programs and grading accreditation exams. I also served on IABC's advisory panel for its global magazine, Communication World and as a member of the steering committee of a global task force charged with helping IABC to expand around the world. For the Toronto branch of IABC, I mentored students and accreditation candidates and served as a member of the brand advisory and accreditation committees. 

BUILDING COMMUNITY

Believing that a strong nonprofit sector is essential for healthy communities, I've worked with many nonprofits as a volunteer since I was a teenager. I currently  volunteer with the Daily Bread Food Bank, which supplies food to nearly 200 food programs across Toronto.

I'm also a volunteer mural guide for the Village of Islington Business Improvement Area, guiding groups through 28 spectacular murals along Dundas Street that bring the history of Toronto to life. And I'm a columnist for the BIA's Village of Islington Times newspaper. 

Previously, I was a mentor/tutor with the On Your Mark program of the Working Women Community Centre, a women-focused agency that provides programs and services to support newcomers in Toronto. Before that I volunteered with Endeavour Volunteer Consulting for Non-Profits as an engagement manager on a consulting project for the Kids' Internet Safety Alliance (KINSA). I was also a communications volunteer with Mary Centre, which supports individuals with developmental challenges; a board member of The Dorothy Ley Hospice; and public relations counsel for the Toronto chapter of Parkinson Society Canada. I’ve also been a literacy tutor for the LAMP Community Health Centre; a reader/visitor for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind; and I co-chaired the public relations committee of the Toronto branch of the Canadian Diabetes Association.

AWARD WINNING

To enable clients to receive recognition for their communication efforts, from time to time I have entered our work in awards programs. Among the projects that have been honoured are The Story of the Loving Hand, a history of The Dorothy Ley Hospice, and the book Caring, Sharing, Investing, Growing: The Story of Horwath International, both of which received international APEX awards for publication excellence. The Dorothy Ley Hospice branding program also received a Dalton Pen award.