AWNA Staff

The AWNA Central Office staff serves member publications, advertisers and the public at large.

Dennis Merrell

Executive Director

Dennis joined AWNA in June, 1982 as Assistant Director and became Executive Director in May of 1983. He has a background in advertising, public relations and newspaper reporting/editing.

Under his leadership, the Alberta association has become one of the strongest in the country. It developed geographical information software (GIS), a service which helps advertisers/agencies select target markets for optimal buys. This system is now used by community newspaper associations across Canada. AWNA was also the first Canadian newspaper association to operate a computer bulletin board system for its membership.

Dennis is a past-president of the Edmonton chapter of the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) and served on the national board for three years. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Newspaper Association Managers Inc. (NAM), a worldwide organization of newspaper association executives headquartered in Salem, Massachusetts. He has been a Certified Association Executive (CAE) since 1989.

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Chrissie Hamblin

Controller

Chrissie Hamblin joined our staff in March 2006 as Controller. Her responsibilities include: Financial Statements, Payroll, A/P, A/R, GST, Budget, and assisting the Executive Director. In addition, Chrissie supervises the Display Advertising and IT departments.

Prior to joining AWNA, Chrissie spent five years at Ticketmaster as an Accounting Administrator. She has successfully completed her Accounting and Strategic Measurement Diploma at Grant MacEwan College, April 2005.

Chrissie enjoys reading, exercising, home improvement projects and spending time with her family.

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Maurizia Hinse

Professional Development and Communication Coordinator

Maurizia joined the AWNA in 1989 as Secretary Receptionist. since 1993, she has been actively involved with AWNA members providing Member Services through coordination and management of AWNA events and meeting from computer seminars to the newspaper symposium and annual meetings. She is also involved in attending and recording Minutes at the Board and Annual General Meetings and is responsible for updating the bylaws through Corporate Registries.

Her duties include coordination of the Better Newspapers Competition awards, ATCO Photographic awards, the Write on Contest and the Direct Energy Volunteer Citizen of the Year award. AWNA is comprised of many committees, most of which she is involved in. In addition she acts as coordinator of AWNA-sponsored bursaries, awards and program. Maurizia also contributes to Keeping-Up-To-Date, AWNA's internal Members newsletter.

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Andrea Carreau

Blanket Classified Advertising Coordinator

Andrea became part of the AWNA in September, 1988 as Blanket Classified Coordinator for Alberta and Canada-Wide Classified Ads. Prior to joining AWNA, Andrea had three years community newspaper experience working for Grande Prairie This Week.

Andrea enjoys golfing, fishing and spends most weekends at the cabin with her husband Ken.

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Jeff Beardsworth

AdWest Advertising Director

Jeff assumed the full-time role of Advertising Director for AdWest, the Sales and Marketing Bureau for community newspapers associations in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in July 2006.

The primary goal of AdWest is to ensure that clients of each of the three regional associations are able to quickly and efficiently gather information that will assist them in the planning of community newspapers. With the investments made by the community newspapers industry in planning tools such as the Market Analyzer and ComBase, one of Jeff’s priorities is to ensure that AdWest’s focus is to provide advertising agencies and clients with credible research and market data on the 270+ markets of the network.

Jeff began his newspaper career in 1988 as a Sales Representative for the North Battleford Telegraph/Advertiser Post. Upon his return to Alberta he continued his career with Gazette Press Ltd. (now Great West Newspapers) as the Sales/Marketing Director for Edmonton’s Urban Weekly SEE Magazine.

He joined the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association in March of 2000 as its Sales and Marketing Representative and served in that role until December of 2005, at which time he took on the added responsibility of Sales Director for AdWest. During his time with the community newspapers industry, Jeff has played a vital role in the development of the ComBase readership study, the Market Analyzer and Community Media Canada.

During the summer months Jeff is an avid golfer and spends most of his weekends with his family at his cottage at Turtle Lake. He occupies the winter months renovating the century-old home he shares with his wife Kris and daughter Kaitlyn.

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Greg Foster

Display Advertising Sales Coordinator

A Past President of the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association, Greg got his start in advertising sales with The Edmonton Journal after graduating from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in the early 1980s, then shifted to the community newspaper industry with move to the Surrey (B.C.) Leader in 1987. In 1993, Greg returned to Alberta for the St. Albert and Morinville Gazettes and later he moved to Lethbridge to head up sales for Great West Newspaper Group’s newly acquired shopper. He then settled in High River and served as publisher until 2004, including a stint as group publisher for several of Sun Media’s southern Alberta weeklies.

After a period pursuing marketing interests outside of the newspaper industry, Greg came back to his roots in September 2007 re-joining Great West Newspaper Group as Sales and Marketing Manager for the Red Deer Express. Greg brings varied marketing and media background and a genuine love of the community newspaper industry and is thrilled to be working again with the AWNA.

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Katherine Seely

Display Ad Coordinator

Katherine (Kat) is brand new to the advertising industry, coming to us from the customer service department of GE Money, an international finance company. An Alberta native, Kat was born in Calgary, grew up in Edson and has spent the last eight years in Edmonton. She is already enjoying the challenges of the lively ad booking department with its varied tasks. Kat looks forward to learning more about the newspaper industry and continuing her great customer service skills.

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Gail Korpan

Accounting Assistant

Gail started with AWNA as a contract position in June 2008 and became permanent in October 2008 as part time Accounting Assistant. She has a background in accounting mostly in the service industry. Her responsibilities include: A/R, A/P, Cash Receipts, Account Reconciliations, and assisting the Controller.

Gail is really enjoying the part time hours and the diversity of the position. She loves her volunteer position with Brownies, part of Girl Guides, with her daughter. She is also an RMT and Certified Reflexologist, Indian Head Massage and a Reiki Master Practitioner which fills her time, as well as volunteering at the school.

Gail also enjoys reading, exercising, and spending time with her family.

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Allana Bridgewater

Display Ad Administrator

Allana joined the AWNA in March 2009. Her main responsibilities at AWNA are checking booking orders, maintaining and updating rate cards and downloading eTearsheets from the AWSOM Archive.

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