Pictured top row left to right: Alison Müller, Mariel Dela Cruz, Michaela Davies, Mona Lee, Bulla Islam. Bottom row left to right: Naseam Thorseth, Sherry Sheffman, Stephanie Dunn, Carson Keller, Dana Higgins
The IABC/BC Wave Awards are IABC/BC’s signature awards program, celebrating our chapter’s most exceptional communicators.
Congratulations to the ten amazing communications who have been nominated by their peers for the 2024 Wave Awards!
Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit a Wave Award nomination this year. Congratulations to Paige Strand, the winner of our nominator prize draw!
Keep an eye on our social media and website because we’ll be announcing the winners soon. We’ll also be celebrating all our winners and nominees at the IABC/BC Summer Social.
Making Waves
Making Waves recognizes a new superstar communicator with 6 years or less in the profession who demonstrates skill above their level of experience and who has a bright future.
Mariel Dela Cruz
Digital Marketing and Communications Specialist, Be the Change Group
Mariel was nominated by Paige Strand, who says, “Mariel’s gift for assessing a strategy and innovating towards stronger execution of it is very clear in how often she out-performs her own metrics with success and satisfaction from the clients she serves.”
Alison Müller
Digital Content Specialist, Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes
Alison was nominated by Michaela Davies. In her nomination, Michaela writes, “At the core of Alison’s skillset lies a natural deep understanding of communications principles, enabling them to distill intricate ideas into digestible nuggets of information without sacrificing accuracy.”
Lighthouse
The Lighthouse award goes to a senior communicator with 7 years or more in the profession whose experience, accomplishments or projects have made them a trusted leader in their organization and a role model.
Michaela Davies
Chief Impact and Communications Officer, Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes
In nominating Michaela, Alison Müller writes, “Michaela is an excellent example of how a varied education…can combine with a rich work history and strong work ethic to result in an exceptional and altruistic leader.”
Stephanie Dunn, SCMP
Manager, Communications & Engagement, BC Cancer
Stephanie was nominated by not one but five of her colleagues: Susan Seto, Cheryl Rossi, Diana Stepczuk, Sayurie Naidoo and Pamela Gole. In their nomination, they wrote, “ Stephanie is a highly collaborative leader who is well-respected by leaders across BC Cancer and adored by all members of the BC Cancer Communications team that she leads.”
Director, Strategic Communications, BC Pension Corporation
In nominating Sherry, Jeanean Merkel writes, “Sherry’s longstanding commitment to improving the profession and sharing her skills is a credit to the communications industry. She is generous with her time and shares her experience and advice with everyone from clients to employees to industry peers.”
Senior Communications Specialist, Metro Vancouver
Paige Strand nominated Naseam and wrote in her submission, “One of my favorite qualities in Naseam is how her leadership presents so vibrantly through authenticity. Many have a ‘personal’ and ‘professional’ side, but Naseam effortlessly embodies her true self in all that she does, in a way that is so impressive and yet still so approachable.”
New Navigator
This award goes to a communicator who is a dedicated volunteer with IABC/BC for 1 to 5 years, making major contributions, creating benefits for members, sharing time and knowledge.
Carson Keller
Communications Associate, SFU’s Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship
Maycko Macapugas nominated Carson for this award, writing, “Carson…has already been able to accomplish a lot in his first year as a volunteer. His can-do attitude has proved to be a value asset for various teams and people.”
Writer and Aspiring Communications Professional
In her nomination of Mona, Judy Swens writes, “She consistently demonstrated a deep passion for our mission and a tireless work ethic that has significantly enhanced our organization’s impact. Whether it is scheduling social media posts or writing content Mona Lee consistently goes above and beyond to ensure the success of our initiatives.”
Long Beach
Long Beach recognizes a communicator with a long history as an IABC/BC volunteer, making significant, creative contributions to the chapter for more than 5 years.
Dana Higgins
Director, Public Programs and Engagement, Science World
Dana was nominated by Maycko Macapugas who wrote, “Dana, during my entire tenure as a volunteer, has always been a welcoming and supportive presence at IABC/BC. Furthermore, Dana has always has always held the growth of team members and volunteers as a top priority.”
SAIL (Student Advancing in Learning)
Sponsored by Simon Fraser University
This award goes to a post-secondary student in communication, marketing or public relations studies who demonstrates excellence, collaborates well and shows promise.
Marketing and Communications Coordinator, BlueShore Financial
Communications Student, Simon Fraser University
Liane Salo writes of Bulla, “Bulla is driven, a hard worker, and dedicated to learning, and we know that he will go on to have a successful career in Marketing and Communications once he graduates from SFU.”
