IABC member Mia Wedgbury is the President and co-founder of High Road Communications. She has over 10 years experience in the high tech communications industry and serves on the Board of the Canadian Advanced Technology Association (CATA). Through her company (and her previous work at an international public relations agency prior to founding High Road in 1996), she has lent her expertise to some of the top high tech firms in North America, including Microsoft, IBM and Xerox.

High Road Communications was named one of Canada's Top 25 Small and Medium Employers for the second year in a survey conducted by Queen's School of Business, Queen's Centre for Business Venturing and Hewitt Associates

Through High Road, Mia does a lot of pro bono work for a variety of technology, business and not-for-profit organizations, including Ability Online, which promotes the cause of empowering children through technology.

Mia speaks regularly about key trends in the communications industry and how to effectively connect businesses to the media and online audiences that matter. Her PR column appears in the Small Business section of The Globe and Mail's online edition.

With more than 20 years experience as a public relations practitioner, Julie Rusciolelli is one of Canada's leading strategists and creative publicists. As founding president of MAVERICK Public Relations, she manages the day-to-day operations of this innovative, high-energy company, while serving various accounts with her signature "hands-on" management style.

Julie started her career at National Public Relations and then moved over to Cohn & Wolfe where she was Vice-President of the Technology Practice for more than six years. She founded MAVERICK in 1999 and has provided senior and creative counsel to a diverse group of clients, including Symantec Canada, Evian, Nike, Habitat for Humanity Canada, The Remington Group, Miele Appliances, ING Direct and many more.

Julie currently sits on the board of Shelternet, a national not-for-profit organization which assists women who are victims of domestic abuse. She has been on Canada's TOP 100 Women Entrepreneurs list in Profit Magazine. She is an avid PR blogger (visit the "Voice from the PR Maven" located at http://julietteblog.blogspot.com/) and a regular panelist on the podcast Inside PR.

Since being named the first recipient of the IABC/Toronto Student of the Year award in 2005, Katherine (Kylie) McMullan recently completed her Masters of Business Administration at Simon Fraser University. Prior to returning to school, Kylie was an account executive at QUAY Strategies. Now working as a Public Relations and Advertising Account Executive at Nature's Path foods, she liaises with ad agencies, public relations agencies and media brokers to ensure their communications needs are met.

Kylie is also involved in public relations and advertising planning and strategy, and is the midst of a successful branding and marketing campaign by Nature's Path recently launched in Toronto.

Kylie is also a graduate of the public relations program at the Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning and was on the dean's honour roll.

Scott MacDonald was named IABC/Toronto Student of the Year in 2007. An Account Coordinator at MAVERICK Public Relations, Scott works with high-profile clients in the firm's consumer and corporate practices group. His work with Evian and Toronto Eaton Centre helped generate widespread awareness around their consumer and philanthropic efforts.

While his daily duties consist of research, writing and media monitoring and analysis, Scott is particularly knowledgeable in all aspects of media relations social media. Through his imaginative pitches and comprehensive media outreach, Scott has cultivated strong contacts with print and broadcast journalists at both local and national levels.

Scott's strong background in event consultation and management has resulted in successful, highly-touted events including private functions, awareness campaigns and media events.

Our most recent IABC/Toronto Student of the Year, Maricel Dicion's communications and writing skills were developed at an early age. Born and raised in Toronto, she was winning awards for her short stories and poetry since she was eight years old. Earning a diploma in journalism at Centennial College, Maricel recently graduated from Centennial's Corporate Communications and Public Relations post-graduate program.

As an account coordinator at Cohn & Wolfe, Maricel is involved in all aspects of media and public relations for such clients as Nintendo and SanDisk, from crafting pitches to writing releases. Her skills were also honed during her internship at the Ontario Science Centre and her past work with Weber Shandwick.

Maricel also employs her journalistic skills as a part-time reporter at 680 News.