Kerry Bezzanno
Kerry Bezzanno is a multi-award winning PR consultant with close to two decades of experience delivering an extensive range of marketing, communications and social media services to clients in Canada and the United States. Currently, she is the Communications Director for a top integrated advertising and interactive agency in Edmonton, Alberta.
During her career, she has worked with a diverse roster of clientele in the corporate, public and non-profit sectors, including political figures, First Nations Chiefs and Councils, prominent media figures, corporate CEOs and senior public officials. In total, this comprises over 95 organizations and government departments at the municipal and provincial levels. And she has developed content for one of the top 10 PR blogs in the world.
Kerry’s work has also taken her throughout Alberta, Canada and involved large-scale, multi-stakeholder public consultation initiatives regarding complex issues on topics ranging from special education and affordable housing to gang crime reduction and emergency services.
Through working both within the realm of public relations and previously in management consulting, Kerry appreciates the importance of communication as a key factor in successful team building, effective leadership development and optimal organizational performance.
Kerry is a lifetime member of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and a certified practitioner in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®.
Karina Crooks
Karina Crooks is a marketing and communications professional and the owner of Vivid Shift, a recruitment marketing company based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada that works with organizations to attract and retain the right employees, volunteers and students.
With a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alberta, Karina has worked in program evaluation, public sector policy analysis, project management and most recently as a managing partner for an agency focused on internal communication and employer branding. This experience has allowed Karina to integrate her analytical background with a creative approach for measuring and evaluating marketing initiatives.
She is passionate about organizational development and women’s leadership, and how to maximize both for enhancing organizational health. As every aspect of an organization impacts employee experiences and engagement, Karina believes we must continuously question how we think about talent management and business processes for the betterment of team performance, organizational functioning and leadership development.
Karina is the Co-founder of Edmonton Spanish Speakers – an organization supporting second language learners that comprises over 1500 members across Canada.