Brent Carey, ABC, MC, IABC Fellow
Brent Carey is an award-winning communications executive and corporate storyteller who has been helping organizations connect with their stakeholders and achieve successful business outcomes for more than 30 years. During his career in corporate communications, he has practiced the complete range of the profession’s disciplines, including internal/HR communications and employee engagement, recruitment marketing, issues management and crisis communications, public and media relations, marketing communications and government relations.
Twice in his career Brent has built a communication function from scratch. He is equally at home writing an intranet article, developing a long-term strategy or advising the C-suite. He loves his family – at home, at work and at IABC and would do anything for them.
Brent is currently Vice President, Communications, at Mattamy Asset Management (the parent company of Mattamy Homes), based in Toronto, where he leads the corporate communications function and a small, impactful team that provides strategic planning and execution across Mattamy’s operations in Canada and the US. Brent has also held communication leadership roles with KPMG International, Deloitte Canada, CIBC, TD Bank and Imperial Oil.
In 2004 he earned the Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) designation from IABC and in 2024 was recognized with the prestigious IABC Canada Master Communicator Award, an accolade bestowed upon select professionals who have demonstrated exemplary contributions to the field of communication. Brent graduated from York University in Toronto with a double honours degree in Communications and English.
Bonnie Caver, SCMP, IABC Fellow
Bonnie Caver, SCMP, is the Founder and CEO of Reputation Lighthouse, a global change management and reputation consultancy with offices in Denver, Colorado, and Austin, Texas. The firm, which is 20 years old, focuses on leading companies to create, accelerate, and protect their corporate value.
Caver is a lifelong learner. She has achieved the highest professional certification for a communication professional, the Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP), an ANSI/ISO-level distinction. She is also a certified strategic change management professional (Kellogg School of Management), a certified crisis manager (Institute of Crisis Management), and holds an advanced certification for reputation through the Reputation Institute (now the RepTrak Company).
She is a past chair of the global executive board for the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). She currently serves on the board of directors for the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, where she leads the North American Regional Council and is the New Technology Responsibility/AI Director. Caver is the Vice Chair for the Global Communication Certification Council (GCCC) and leads the IABC Change Management Special Interest Group, which has more than 1,300 members. In addition, she is heavily involved in the global conversation around ethical and responsible AI implementation, and led the Global Alliance’s efforts in creating Ethical and Responsible AI Guidelines for the global profession.
Caver is passionate about the communication profession and the Global Standards that guide professionals. She has traveled the world to meet with business leaders and educators to advocate for the Global Standards for the Communication Profession and ethical and responsible AI use within the profession. She recently represented the Global Alliance in a delegation to the United Nations focused on the role communication plays in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. In May, she will guide a global AI Symposium to further solidify the Global Alliance’s principles for Responsible AI for the public relations and communication professions.
Caver enjoys mentoring young communication professionals and frequently speaks on branding, reputation, Responsible AI, M&A, the future of communication and business trends, change management, ethics, and thought leadership topics.
Laurie Dawkins, ABC, MC, SCMP, IABC Fellow
Laurie Dawkins, ABC, MC, SCMP, Fellow, is vice president of Communications & Engagement with the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), one of the largest public sector health-care organizations in western Canada. She leads a team of close to 50 communication professionals in delivering timely, strategic and meaningful internal and external communications, media relations, crisis communications and C-suite counsel to meet the needs of more than 29,000 employees and 5.5 million citizens who turn to PHSA for specialized health-care services provided by BC Children’s Hospital, BC Cancer, BC Emergency Health Services, the BC Centre for Disease Control, and more.
Laurie has more than 25 years’ experience in the communications industry, and holds the professional designations of Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) and Strategic Communications Management Professional (SCMP). In 2017, she was delighted to be named a Master Communicator of Canada (MC) by the IABC-Canada. She has hands-on experience in partnering with First Nations and Indigenous leaders to co-create communication strategies that are foundational to PHSA’s organizational vision to “Boldly create an equitable, anti-racist and culturally safe health care system where everyone thrives.”
Laurie has spent the majority of her career serving in health-care, but has also been privileged to work with organizations like the University of British Columbia, Industry Canada and Placer Dome Mining, among others.
She is an active member of the International Association of Business Communicators, locally, nationally and internationally, a frequent mentor to new communicators, and holds more than 28 industry awards and honours for her professional work and volunteerism, including five IABC Gold Quill awards. She is also a proud mom of two young adults, a highly competitive player of Uno, and a volunteer costume mistress who gets to get make fantastical creations for a youth musical theatre company.
Mike Klein, FIIC, FCSCE, SCMP, IABC Fellow
Mike Klein is the Editor-in-Chief of Strategic Magazine, Founder of #WeLeadComms, and a communication consultant specializing in internal and social communication based in Reykjavik, Iceland.
A former US political consultant, Mike shifted direction toward internal communication while pursuing his MBA at London Business School. Since then, Mike has been one of the leading voices for empowering communication professionals, and advocating a focus on internal influence and social connection as drivers of communication, integration and performance.
His 2011 book, From Lincoln to LinkedIn remains relevant as organizations recognize that personal credibility and connection are critical to communication success in a world where content volumes are increasing and instability flourishes.
Raised in Chicago, Mike has lived and worked in seven different countries, and is also a Fellow of the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence and the Institute of Internal Communication.
Gloria S. Walker, ABC, FRHA, FHEA, FCSCE, IABC Fellow
Gloria Walker, ABC, FRSA, FHEA, FCSCE, is a communications consultant, researcher and university lecturer based in London, England.
A graduate of West Virginia University (BS) and The University of Texas at Austin (MA), she has held positions in the US and in Europe in corporate communications, internal communications, public relations and public affairs, both in-house and in consultancies.
She has taught in undergraduate and graduate programs in the US, the UK and Thailand. She is the author of several articles and co-author of two chapters in the Public Relations Handbook’s 6th and 7th editions.