Meet the Board: Elizabeth Sutcliffe

Elizabeth’s path to communications is strengthened by her background in the arts. Drawing on expertise in film and video production, arts administration and culinary arts, Elizabeth is in her element when discussing health and wellness, building audience engagement, event planning and leading integrated marketing campaigns.

Elizabeth holds a diploma in screen arts and an advanced diploma in public relations from the Nova Scotia Community College, a nutritional consultant certificate from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, and a chef training certificate from the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in NYC. Elizabeth serves on the board of directors for Easter Seals Nova Scotia and is the director of events and the diversity, equity and inclusion committee lead for the International Association of Business Communicators, Maritime chapter.

What inspired you to get involved with IABC?

As a communications advisor working at a non-profit organization, it’s important for me to stay connected to my peers in the field. We are a niche bunch and it’s great to forge connections with like-minded people.

It’s also important for me to stay current on emerging trends, to build my network and to learn from my peers — IABC offers that and more.

I bring a lens of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to my work and the IABC Maritime Chapter provides an opportunity to share these discussions, commitments and tangible actions with our members.

Through IABC, I’ve been able to lead a DEI committee and I look forward to working with our dynamic board to bring this knowledge to our industry through upcoming events and working with guest speakers.

What’s your favourite part of your work?

In my role as a communications advisor with the Doctors Nova Scotia Healthy Tomorrow Foundation I tend to draw on my background in the arts, as storytelling is at the heart of my work.

Created by Doctors Nova Scotia in 2018, the foundation’s mandate is to inspire and empower all Nova Scotians to achieve wellness through active and healthy living. I’m fortunate to be in a position where I can connect directly with folks across the province who are taking the initiative to make the world a better place. Whether it’s in community or at an organizational/governmental level, I’m honoured to be part of a sea of change to make this a healthier and happier province.

If I’m writing a profile, a blog, a short script, planning an event, or developing a content marketing strategy, I am always driven by a goal to create an authentic connection with the audience that the material is intended for.

When you create or contribute to work that makes someone feel something, you can finish your day with a sense of satisfaction that what you do matters, that your work makes a positive impact on someone else’s sense of well-being. That’s important to me and that’s what I love about my work.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?

• Travelling, or dreaming about travelling.

• I’m currently trying to learn basic Italian and Arabic on Duolingo.

• When weather permits, swimming in the ocean.

• Playing guitar.

What's something you geek out about?

True crime. Mystery. Psychology. The whodunit and why of it all.

What’s something about you that sounds made up but is 100% true?

I’ve been told that I need to write a book about my life. It’s had its moments. Some highlights:

• Bartending at a hostel in a Costa Rican jungle.

• In my previous career as a cook, I was fortunate to combine work and travel. I spent time as a cook at a raw foods restaurant, which was part of a yoga Shala and surf school in Western Australia and I worked at Café Gratitude in San Francisco—a cafe deemed “weird even for SF standards”.

• Going backstage at Carnegie Hall in NYC to meet Patti Smith after a Free Tibet concert.

Would you read it?

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