Meet our Members: Elizabeth Tadman-Kickham
March 14, 2023
March is Member Month at IABC, so let’s meet some of our members and find out why they chose IABC.
Name: Elizabeth Tadman-Kickham
Employer: Strathcona County
Job title: Communications and Marketing Specialist
Years in the communications profession: 13
How long have you been an IABC member? 12 years
What kind of IABC membership do you have?
Strathcona County has a Corporate Membership that I am a part of.
Are you certified (CMP, SCMP) or accredited (ABC)? What do you hold? Why is that important to you?
Not yet. Right now, I am in the midst of the Master of Arts in Communications and Technology program at the University of Alberta, but I would definitely consider pursuing a certification through IABC in the future.
What’s your best IABC memory?
It’s too difficult to pick just one… I would say there are three memories that are tied for “best IABC memory” in my mind.
The first is participating in the Dare to Lead conference as an IABC Edmonton Board Member. The conference was an amazing opportunity to collaborate with and learn from different communicators. Not to mention the fun we had at Dine Around!
The second is coordinating the IABC Edmonton Mortified Event as Director of Mentorship. It was incredible to see this event come to life and have so many communicators share their embarrassing work mistake stories with the crowd. The room was buzzing! My favourite part was that people weren’t just networking afterwards, they were truly connecting and bonding. It was a special night.
The third best memory I have is when my team at Strathcona County and I won our first IABC Canada Silver Leaf Award. The project we entered spanned over multiple years and culminated in a comprehensive communications strategy that we were especially proud of. Winning the Silver Leaf Award of Merit for Governmental Communications was the perfect way to honour all of our hard-earned success.
What do you find most valuable about your IABC membership?
An IABC membership isn’t meant to just be purchased and forgotten about. The more you put into your membership experience, the more you get out of it. As a past IABC Edmonton Board Member, I have found the opportunities to get out of my comfort zone and stretch my skills to be the most rewarding and valuable part of having an IABC membership. The connections and friendships I have made by being a member, volunteering and attending events have been so wonderful as well.
Which aspects of membership do you make use of and what do you find valuable about them?
- PD events help keep my skills up to date and provide me with new perspectives.
- Networking events have helped me to foster my IABC relationships and have a group of people I can call on for guidance or advice.
- Award judging helped me to refine my own communications plans and provide feedback to help others do the same.
- Award submissions help highlight the quality of my team’s work and the feedback provided helps us to continually improve.
- Volunteering for our local board allowed me to expand my skills and meet amazing people that I now consider friends.