Récipiendaires de l’édition 2010 du Prix Lee-d'Anjou – Bénévole de l'année et du Prix de la présidence de l'ACR pour activités de bénévolat

Prix Lee-d'Anjou – Bénévole de l'année

Cy Strom
Toronto branch member Cy Strom was recognized for his continuing role in writing and then revising EAC's Professional Editorial Standards (PES) and Proofreading: Meeting Professional Editorial Standards (Proofreading: MPES), both of which are essential publications for the editing profession. PES describes the skills editors should have, tells employers what to expect from the editors they hire, and helps post-secondary institutions and other training providers design courses and material on editing. Proofreading: MPES is one of four parts of a study program that allows editors to test their skills and learn by example.

Cy was also one of the editors who took the first steps to develop EAC's landmark certification program, working on EAC's first Proofreading pilot test and marking guide.

Prix de la présidence de l'ACR pour activités de bénévolat

Ursula Acton
Ursula Acton, a Saskatoon-based editor, started out in newspaper editing "back in the days when cut-and-paste involved a straight edge and wax." She has been a freelance editor for the past 10 years.

Ursula has co-chaired the Professional Development Committee of EAC-Saskatchewan for the past two years. Her attention to detail and her diplomacy have ensured that the branch's professional development workshops have run smoothly and seemingly effortlessly. In 2010, Ursula brought her enthusiasm and conscientious approach to her position as Saskatchewan's representative on the national executive council.

"I belong to the Editors' Association of Canada because it is the first and best source of like-minded colleagues," Ursula explains. "The meetings and professional development opportunities are the perfect antidote to endless hours working in isolation."

Barbara Dominik
Health, science and math editor by day, treasurer and hotline coordinator by night, Vancouver-based Barbara Dominik is a superhero to many on the BC branch executive. The former mechanical engineer, who got into the profession after having two kids, has been on the branch executive for just three years, but in that short time she's made a big impact. During her second year Dominik helped draw up a budget and manage the monthly financials. The result? Balanced books. As the current treasurer, she's kept the branch in the black despite shifting revenue. Her appreciation for numbers has other benefits, too. "Through my involvement in my girls' education, I've developed a passion for strong math and science education. We really need to raise information-savvy children—numerate, critical thinkers—to deal with the information age," she says.
 
Diane Ferland
Quebec/Atlantic Canada branch member Diane Ferland worked for 25 years as a writer and translator for non-profit organizations before going back to school and obtaining her official translation certificate. Then she began her own freelance translation business, and eventually moved into editing. Now, in addition to her translation work, Diane proofreads and copy edits educational materials for a Quebec publisher.

Diane joined EAC to develop contacts and have access to professional development opportunities. "I also needed to break the isolation of freelance work," she adds. At her first EAC meeting, Diane decided to volunteer and began organizing seminars in both English and French. She later served two years as branch chair and now serves as past chair and treasurer.
 
"I don't think I would have lasted as a freelancer without EAC," says Diane. "I've made many friends and found a group of people that I have a lot in common with. I am proud of the award, but feel that I have been rewarded in many other ways as well."

Randee Holmes
Looking for a volunteer who can get the job done right? Look no further than communications consultant Randee Holmes. A Toronto writer, editor and researcher who specializes in environmental issues, Randee prides herself on high professional standards, attention to detail, flexibility and a co-operative nature. These skills have made her invaluable at the Toronto branch where she has coordinated the roster of seminar hosts for more than a decade. No small feat, given the number of seminars the branch offers each year and the fact that she has two young children. Randee, a one-time seminar host herself, not only manages, schedules and trains volunteers, but has also devised the indispensable host kit known as "The Box."

Krysia P. Lear
Guelph-based editor Krysia P. Lear began her career as a writer, but quickly learned she had the skills to make a great editor. After attending an editing seminar at a writers' conference, she realized that editing fit her analytical side and passion for having things make sense. Shortly after joining EAC in the 1990s, Krysia became an active volunteer, working her way from the position of secretary, to program chair, national public relations chair and, eventually, national member-at-large.
 
"Being a member of EAC means being with 'my tribe,'" Krysia says. "I considered joining another communications organization, but after attending some EAC meetings, I realized I felt more at home with the interests of EACers."
 
Krysia currently runs her own company, The Editorial Suite. She has a Bachelor of Theology and a Certificate in Magazine Editing, and has completed numerous courses from the Canadian Public Relations Society, the Society for Technical Communications, the Professional Writers' Association of Canada and, of course, EAC.

Perry Millar
Perry Millar has been editing for over 25 years. She helped build the British Columbia branch of EAC before moving and creating a new branch of EAC in Saskatchewan. Perry has also played an active role in establishing the national certification program and helped to rewrite Professional Editorial Standards in 2008.

Perry says, "I belong to EAC for the professional development, the collegiality, and for the satisfaction of passing on knowledge and keeping a professional editors' association alive and kicking for the upcoming generation of editors."

Perry has worked extensively in academic and trade publishing. She particularly likes shaping and developing books. "But most of all, I love reading a wide range of material that I would never otherwise read," she says.

Maureen Nicholson
Maureen Nicholson is an editor, writer and teacher based on Bowen Island, British Columbia. She began her editing career as managing editor of West Coast Review at Simon Fraser University before going on to work at The Georgia Straight, the Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing, Motion Works Publishing and numerous small magazines. In addition to running her own company, Keyline Consulting Associates, since 1991, Maureen is currently program head for Professional Writing at Douglas College.
 
As former EAC president (2005 to 2007), Maureen has been an integral part of the association, writing numerous EAC policies and helping to develop EAC's current strategic plan.
 
When asked about winning her volunteer service award, Maureen was quick to turn the recognition on to her EAC colleagues. "I thought about people I'd nominate next year," she says. "I'm delighted that the big award is named after Lee d'Anjou … and very, very pleased that Michelle Boulton and the national executive were able to put these awards in place."

Wilf Popoff
Saskatoon-based editor Wilf Popoff began editing 50 years ago at The Sheaf, the University of Saskatchewan's student newspaper. He went on to work for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and the Edmonton Journal.  He has been self-employed as a contract editor for the past 14 years.

Wilf was a founding member of EAC-Saskatchewan in 2000 and has served on the executive ever since. Wilf co-edited Latest Edition, the Prairie Provinces branch newsletter, for four years (2002-06) before moving on to edit Active Voice, the association's national newsletter.

Wilf believes that professional affiliation in organizations such as the Editors' Association of Canada is essential to professional work. "I volunteer because when I was a young editor and writer I was guided by older men and women who helped me learn my craft," Wilf says. "They are no longer around to repay, so I repay my colleagues instead and offer guidance to young editors and writers."

Rosemary Tanner
When Rosemary Tanner first volunteered for the national executive, she says, she was "trying hard to fade into the woodwork." Happily, the freelance editor ended up doing just the opposite. In her 14-year history, she has worn hats as professional development chair, treasurer, president and unofficial mediator, forging bonds within the publishing community and proving herself to be a natural-born leader. Case in point: in 1996, Tanner helped bring the Prairie Provinces branch into the national fold. Won over by her welcoming and friendly approach, the branch asked the national executive council to fund her trip to its 10^th anniversary celebrations.

So what else does this science specialist bring to the table? Things like farm-fresh eggs, chicken, lamb and maple syrup—bounty from her property in Kenilworth and the surrounding rural community that her colleagues in Toronto love to receive. She and her husband, Raymond, live in a restored schoolhouse with extensive vegetable gardens.

Ken Weinberg
After graduating from Ryerson with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, Ken Weinberg spent the first 20 years of his career in the data communications industry. He later moved into technical training for Fortune 500 companies, and eventually went on to study technical writing and editing at George Brown College. This technical background is evident in Ken's editorial work. "I enjoy making complex ideas and procedures easy to understand and follow," says the Toronto-based editor. "Life is complicated enough; we don't need instructions to be any more complicated than necessary."
 
As an EAC volunteer, Ken was responsible for guiding the website committee through the task of bringing EAC's website in-house—all while laid up in bed after back surgery.
 
On hearing about his award for volunteer service, Ken says he "felt proud to be included in such an esteemed group."

Profiles of past winners prepared by EAC member volunteers Denise Barnard, Tammy Burns and Penny McKinlay.