By Staff
November 20th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Oanh Kasperski is the new Director of Corporate Communications and Engagement.
With over 20 years of experience in communications and engagement leadership, Oanh has a proven track record of building strong reputations and fostering collaborative relationships.
Oanh’s most recent role was the Director of Marketing and Brand at the University of Waterloo. Her experience also extends to previous leadership roles at McMaster University, CBC, and Seneca College.
In her various roles, Oanh has provided strategic advice and leadership on communications and stakeholder engagement. This experience will be an asset for the City’s commitment to excellence in communications and engagement and strengthening community relationships.
Oanh will start in the role on December 11, 2023.
Corporate communications is not community engagement. Conflating the two does a disservice to both.
One is about communicating corporate direction and branding. It is about pushing out information to the broader community. The other is about engaging members of the community in a meaningful way such that their input, ideas, suggestions and feedback are properly reflected, amplified and given credence in the decision-making process.
This is a strange balancing act. For a municipal government that has a long track record of doing neither “communications” nor “community engagement” particularly well it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
The title of Director of Corporate Communications and Engagement seems to me to imply communicating as a corporation to other corporations, not citizens, and engaging at the high level. In other words marketing Burlington to companies and probably government entities and engaging with them.
This seems not to be a position to get down in the trenches and talk with residents, which of course is what is needed in Burlington. We know we can’t count on our Councillors to engage with us much, either in Chambers or outside. Is this person going to change that? I doubt it.
So,the period “.” should have come after, “Communications” and not after “and Engagement”? I guess job-one for us, is to ask for her detailed job description. Anyone know how she performed at “community engagement” at Mac?
Oanh Kasperski
Oanh Kasperski held the position of Director, Marketing And Community Engagement at the McMaster University in 2022 and received an annual salary of $129,634.24 as per the records provided by the Government of Ontario.
Year: 2022
Salary: $129,634.24
Position: Director, Marketing And Community Engagement
Employer: McMaster University
Category of Employment: Universities
Source: Ontario’s Sunshine List
Realizing the previous long-term incumbent defended to council his late distribution of a notice of a meeting that had already occurred, I might start out with less cinicism, Jim. Communicate first. Then the meeting occurs. Let’s get that right.
So the tail wags the dog?
Only Councilor Stolte showed up for the engagement on Bateman.
Color me cynical.
This experience will be an asset for the City’s commitment to excellence in communications and engagement and strengthening community relationships. What commitment – largest number of complaints are regarding engagement, transparency and accountability. Does she really know what she is getting herself into.
Wonder what she is getting paid?
Editor’s note: Her predecessor was getting $140K plus
A branding expert not a communicator.