Karen Yake Email & Phone Number

Alberta

Aberta

Led team of eight employees through a challenging change management process, providing leadership that allowed the department to stabilize and give excellent strategic communications support and creative services to the organizationPartnered with Human Resources to plan and facilitate two team retreats required to provide clarity on individual roles/responsibility and process improvement; wrote five job descriptions and recruited for three vacant positionsEfforts resulted in drastic team/individual performance improvement, successful work outcomes and improved employee satisfaction/retentionLed the development and implementation of the City’s first Public Engagement FrameworkProject champion during key development and implementation stages of new employee intranet. Worked closely with Corporate Information Technology and Human Resources. Developed Administrative Policy to guide the long-term governance and sustainability of the platformManaged department budget of $1.5 million; reported to the General Manager of Corporate Services

Alberta

Communications and marketing business partner for Corporate Services, Finance, Environment, Transit, Strategic Services, City Council and the City ManagerLed the development and implementation of strategic communications and marketing plans; made recommendations on strategic approach, created effective key messaging to reach/engage target audiences, developed content for various channels and mediums, and delivered work products within budget and on deadlineProjects of note: COVID-19, public education on the Airport Vicinity Protection Area (AVPA), the launch of On-Demand Transit, the City's 2021 Annual Report, and Work from Home Policy and ProcedureManaged relationships with media, coordinated interviews and supported City spokespeople as Media Relations LeadReported to the Director of Communications and Marketing Services

Alberta

Developed and implemented external facing communication and marketing plans for City programs, services and events; wrote speeches and speaking notes for City Council and senior leadership Used storytelling techniques to develop roughly 24 journalistic-style articles per year for CityPulse, a City magazine previously published and delivered to all residences in Spruce GroveDeveloped internal communications deliverables aimed to connect City Manager(s) with employees in a friendly, approachable and informative wayWorked collaboratively with external stakeholders on joint communications initiatives (i.e., municipal partners, Parkland School Division, the RCMP, Canadian Red Cross, EPCOR, Edmonton Eskimos and Northern Alberta Institute of Technology)Developed internal communication deliverables as a Reframe 2020 Support Team Member; Reframe 2020 was a corporate-wide initiative intended to create systemic change within the organization and encourage staff to strategically rethink the way we did businessDemonstrated excellent interpersonal skills and ability to foster positive relationships as a member of the City's Corporate Values TeamReported to the Supervisor of Corporate Communications

Spruce Grove, Alberta

Generated story ideas and wrote up to 12 articles each week; news beats included city politics, education, health care, business and human-interest featuresFostered relationships with members of the community, including municipal, provincial and federal politicians, City Administration, school board trustees and Chamber of Commerce representativesInitiated Editor for the Day program targeted at Grade 7 students to increase community engagement; program evolved as students became regular contributorsStory of note: Three-part series on Keephills School in Parkland School Division, closed in June 2015.Reported to the News Editor

Cambridge, Ontario

Oversaw and coordinated the work of roughly 30 reporters; generated story ideas, researched subjects, conducted interviews and wrote articlesDeveloped sound news judgement

Certificate, Local Authorities Administration (Naclaa) Level I

Certificate, Management And Supervision

Diploma, Communications And Public Relations

Diploma, Journalism

Bachelor Of Arts (Ba), History