FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto, June 12, 2017—The Editors’ Association of Canada (Editors Canada) has announced that Jeanne McKane of Toronto, Ontario, is the recipient of the 2017 Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year Award.
McKane is a fierce advocate for professional certification for editors. And she does more than simply talk about certification; she stands behind it, having earned her certification from the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences and her Certified Professional Editor (CPE) credential from Editors Canada. She doubled down on her commitment to professional recognition for editors when she joined the Editors Canada certification steering committee in 2013. She has co-chaired the committee since 2015.
During McKane’s tenure, she has worked tirelessly to raise the profile of professional certification both in Canada and abroad, has advocated for a culture of certification in the editing community, and has contributed significantly to the development and launch of computerized testing. 2017 marks the first time the Editors Canada professional certification tests will be administered on computers.
For McKane, offering professional certification means editors now have a significant goal to aspire to in their careers. But it’s even more than that.
It’s not what I expected at all—it’s been the improvement of my standing with other professionals. As a healthcare editor, I spend a lot of time working closely with doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals, for whom certification is a long-established practice, and a significant part of their own self-image. There is no doubt that when I make them aware of my CPE, it shifts their perceptions of me a little—it allows them to view me more as a collaborator with a different specialty, rather than as support staff, and that, in turn, gives me a greater chance to contribute my own knowledge and skills to a project.
Before joining the certification steering committee, McKane spent five years volunteering for the Editors Toronto professional development committee. The members who nominated her said she “embodies the best qualities of an Editors Canada volunteer, working enthusiastically, fielding criticisms expertly, answering questions patiently, and handling her responsibilities reliably and passionately. We look forward to seeing her commitment to the association rewarded with [this award].”
Established in 2010, the Editors Canada President’s Award for Volunteer Service recognizes outstanding service to the organization by member volunteers. From among the nominations received for the President’s Award, one nominee is selected to receive the Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year Award. Recipients of the 2017 President’s Award for Volunteer Service are as follows.
Catherine Baudin (Editors Quebec/Atlantic Canada)
Carolyn Brown (Editors Ottawa–Gatineau)
Kevin Burns (Editors Ottawa–Gatineau)
Carolyn Camilleri (Editors Toronto)
Dave Ealey (Editors Edmonton)
Patricia Furdek (Editors Ottawa–Gatineau)
Amy Haagsma (Editors British Columbia)
Anita Jenkins (Editors Edmonton)
Juliann Krushen (Editors British Columbia)
Janet MacMillan (Editors Toronto)
Christine Mains (Editors Calgary)
Virginia McGowan (Editors Nova Scotia)
Joanna Odrowaz (Editors Toronto)
Dawn Oosterhoff (Editors Ottawa–Gatineau)
Lynn Slobogian (Editors British Columbia)
Isobel Stevenson (Editors Toronto)
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About Editors Canada
Lee d’Anjou is a founding member of the Freelance Editors’ Association of Canada and remains a guiding force in the association now known as Editors Canada. She is a champion of professional standards of editing, a pioneer of the association’s certification program, and one of the association’s most recognized and outstanding volunteers.
Additional information about the President’s Award for Volunteer Service and the Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year Award can be found on the Editors Canada website.
Editors Canada began in 1979 as the Freelance Editors’ Association of Canada to promote and maintain high standards of editing. In 1994, the word “Freelance” was dropped to reflect the association’s expanding focus to serve both freelance and in-house editors. As Canada’s only national editorial association, it is the hub for 1,300 members and affiliates, both salaried and freelance, who work in the corporate, technical, government, not-for-profit and publishing sectors. The association’s professional development programs and services include professional certification, an annual conference, seminars, webinars, guidelines for fair pay and working conditions, and networking with other associations. Editors Canada has five regional branches: British Columbia; Saskatchewan; Toronto; Ottawa–Gatineau; and Quebec/Atlantic Canada, as well as smaller branches (called twigs) in Calgary, Edmonton, Manitoba, Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph, Hamilton/Halton, Kingston, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Media Contact
Michelle Ou
Senior Communications Manager
Editors Canada
416 975-1379 / 1 866 226-3348
communications@editors.ca