Those who can do… and teach! We’ve been there, done that and now we can pass it along to you. Here are some of the people who will draw on their experiences, knowledge and technologies to create and deliver a custom program that’s right for you!

Ed Martens
Laura Cabak
Lea Gunner
V. Beth Martens
Owen Griffith
Sarah Thorne
Gordon Butte
Dawn Redmond
Catheryn Martens
Les Parry
Carl Radimer

If you have special talents and would make a valuable addition to this faculty, please contact us.

Ed Martens, B.A., APR

Ed Martens, founder and president of Wordsnorth International, is a community and business leader. He is co-founder and vice-president of PDM Media Monitor, and president of CrossComm Group Inc. A corporate expert, Ed is a former president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and a past chair of the Winnipeg Business Development Corporation, predecessor of Winnipeg 2000. He is a former vice-chair, executive committee member and chair of the development committee of the St. Boniface General Hospital and Research Foundation and a past chair of the Board of Governors at Red River College.

Ed has done considerable work in the field of training and coaching, including media spokespersons, speaking and leadership dialogue. He has delivered many speeches on communication and management-related topics. As one of the region’s leading experts in issue and crisis management, Ed is often called upon to help guide organizations in difficult times.[back]

Laura Cabak, B.A.

Laura graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Arts degree and then from Red River Community College in 1997 with a diploma in Public Relations. Her work experience includes government relations, the field of politics and in a management role for a Manitoba cabinet minister. She has gained considerable experience at Wordsnorth working for a variety of clients, from those in the high-tech field to the agricultural and health care communities. This training allows Laura to provide valuable advice and guidance to WordsnorthU clients.

Laura is a professional with an eye for detail and a thorough understanding of public relations theory and practice. Her work experience also includes media relations and issues management.[back]

Lea Gunner, B.A.

Lea graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. She also holds a Creative Communications diploma from Red River College majoring in Advertising, with knowledge in journalism and design. This educational training, combined with her work experience allows Lea to offer clients high-quality work with a creative flair.

Her experience as a specialist in media relations, communication and event planning gives her the background to provide guidance to WordsnorthU clients in these fields. She has experience with small and large-scale media campaigns for a wide range of companies, including those in the clothing and food processing industries and the health care and high-tech consumer fields. [back]

Beth Martens, B.A. (Hon)

Beth is a program manager and a communication specialist with unique skills in cross-cultural relationship management. Her combination of education, work experience, travels and workshop facilitation makes her exceptionally qualified to join the faculty team at WordsnorthU.

At Wordsnorth she gained extensive experience in various training modes, including communication, media and government relations. Beth graduated with a gold medal from the University of Winnipeg in 1992. She has expensive training in yoga and meditation, which are skills she often blends into her other workshops.[back]

Sarah Thorne, B.A. (Hon), M.A.

Sarah Thorne is President and Partner, Thorne Butte: Decision Partners Inc. and Partner in Decision Partners, LLC. She brings 20 years of experience in the design, facilitation and resolution of complex multi-stakeholder issues to the Decision Partners team.

With Dow Chemical Canada, Sarah served on corporate and site leadership teams, facilitating internal and stakeholder groups towards the resolution of issues, many of which related to the health and environmental impacts of chemicals. She also served as Dow's internal leader in risk issue management technology and training. Sarah and Gordon Butte are recognized in North America as leaders in the field of science-based approaches to decision-focused strategies and communication.
Sarah is a member of the Canadian Standards Association’s Technical Committee on Risk Assessment and Communication, which developed the state-of-the-science Q850 Risk Management Process. She is also a member of the Institute of Risk Research and the University of Waterloo, Network for Environmental Risk Assessment and Management and the Society for Risk Analysis.[back]

Gordon Butte

Gordon Butte is President and Partner, Decision Partners, LLC. and Partner, Thorne Butte: Decision Partners Inc. He brings more than 25 years of experience in decision-focused strategy development and communication.

Before forming Decision Partners in 1992, Gordon directed corporate communication activities for the North American industrial and agricultural chemical products, and plastics businesses of Bayer AG, Germany and prior to that he held a number of senior communication management positions in Canada and the U.S. with The Dow Chemical Company.

He has formulated and directed market and issue management activities for a variety of product teams, manufacturing operations, and corporate functions. His activities have included facilitation of, as well as counsel and services for, top management, issue teams, and facility management groups. He has also led multi-stakeholder and risk communication initiatives within Canada and U.S.

Gordon is a member of the Institute for Risk Research at the University of Waterloo and the Society for Risk Analysis, as well as an associate member of the Canadian Standards Committee on Risk Assessment and Communication

He is an honors graduate in Journalism Administration from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and in Business Management Development from the University of Alberta.[back]

Dawn Redmond-Bradley, APR, CIM

A professional communicator since 1976, Dawn has held senior positions in both the public and private sector. Prior to opening her own firm in 1986, she served as director of public affairs for two crown corporations and as manager of the Saskatchewan office for Continental Public Relations. Dawn has extensive knowledge of the mining, petroleum and resources field. Her Saskatchewan location and experience has given her a unique insight into those fields, as well as agriculture.

She has also done extensive work in the area of economic development for Regina and Saskatchewan. She is a frequent teacher and guest lecturer, and has often been one of the faculty leaders on the Wordsnorth team.[back]

Catheryn Martens, R.N., B.A.

Catheryn is a regular speaker and workshop leader on the subject of health care quality and on various administrative and leadership topics. She is a professional communication and performance consultant. She has helped to strategically manage some of the most difficult issues ever faced by the health care field. Catheryn has created and facilitated workshops with a focus on quality management, communication, complaint management and provides consultation services in Human Resources.

Her experience includes working as a nurse in Winnipeg and Ontario hospitals, a senior administrative role at a Winnipeg hospital, patient ombudsman and quality care specialist. Catheryn also worked for a regional health authority and a major Winnipeg clinic. Her extraordinary set of skills make her very much in demand because of the timely nature of issues that require high-level communication and health care knowledge and experience. She also has extensive experience with implementation of provincial privacy legislation, patient representation, quality and risk frameworks and occurrence investigation.

Catheryn holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Winnipeg with a major in Administrative Studies. Catheryn published an article in Risk Management in Canada in 2002 and was the chief consultant in August 2004 for a program on Medical Error for the television program - The Nature of Things. Catheryn is a surveyor with the Canadian Council for Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA) and sits on the CCHSA Patient Safety Advisory Committee and Indicators Committee.[back]

Les Parry

Les Parry is a senior executive with a wide variety of experiences in the public and private sector, including stints in agriculture, broadcasting, marketing communications, operations and organizational development. He is a certified practitioner of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, a certified coach from Corporate Coach University and a
trainer certified by the Manitoba Tourism Education Council. He has been developing and delivering workshops and seminars for the past 20 years. As a community volunteer, his involvement is currently focused on the Red River Exhibition Association where he is President of the Board of Directors.[back]

Carl Radimer, APR

Carl Radimer, APR provides corporate, government and not-for-profit clients with communication strategies, writing and editorial services and a variety of media relations and communications training programs. He is a graduate of the Journalism Program at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary and an Accredited Member of the Canadian Public Relations Society.

His communications training programs are based on his 15 years of experience as a journalist focusing on farm, environment and business issues, 20 years of senior corporate public relations responsibilities in resource development, wildlife conservation and communications and post-secondary teaching positions at SAIT and, currently, in the University of Winnipeg’s Department of Continuing Education where he delivers courses that emphasize the practice – rather than just the theory – of effective communications.[back]