Announcing our 2020 Communicator of the Year - Alex Kinsella

The IABC Waterloo Communicator of the Year is a prestigious award that honours an inspiring leader in the Waterloo Region area who demonstrates excellence in leadership, management, and communications skills.

This year, we wanted to focus on a communicator that has been working to help support small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are proud to announce that this year, we are recognizing Alex Kinsella. 

Through the TL;WR newsletter, Alex has been an exceptional advocate of local small businesses, providing them with a communications vehicle in a time when many are struggling to survive.

He has transitioned his popular newsletter from community events to things that can be done from home, and built a massive list of local businesses with delivery and pickup options to make it easier for his audience to support them.

Alex has been a communications champion not for his own business, but for every small business in Waterloo Region. We can't think of a person who better represents the best of what we can be as marketers and communicators in the face of COVID-19.
 

Honourable Mentions

Since we received so many great applications for Communicator of the Year, and we wanted to recognize two other nominees from the IABC community:

The Region of Waterloo COVID-19 Communications Team
A group of seven communications staff from the Region of Waterloo went above and beyond their regular work and comfort level to provide timely, collaborative information, adjusting to constantly changing details and provincial directives. 

Paula Barrett, Conestoga College Professor
Paula's dedication and excitement educating the next generation of communicators, even amid the unanticipated challenging of teaching during a pandemic, allowed her to stay motivated and encouraging and provide her students with the support they need.