We wanted to give Editors Toronto members and student affiliates another way to get to know their executive committee members, while also finding out what is involved in being on the committee. So, we asked executive committee members to introduce themselves and their roles by answering a few questions for our “Executive Unplugged” series.
Meet Ronnie, our current community liaison. He has been a member of Editors Canada for two years and joined the Editors Toronto executive committee as of the 2022–23 season. Ronnie has a background in visual arts and music but has recently listened to his mother and gotten a proper job.
What kind of editor are you? Tell us a bit about your experience.
I mainly worked copy editing non-fiction and academic manuscripts in the past, but I found a niche editing and facilitating faculty grant applications in the social sciences, arts, and humanities, which is a neat way of thumbing my nose at everyone who asked me about my major back in university and said, “What are you going to do with that?”
What is your favourite part of the role you hold on the executive committee (or the “exec,” as we call it)?
Edibuddies are real. And they make life so much better.
Give us an elevator pitch for your role.
This role has involved things like fielding questions from members and prospective members, as well as attempting to facilitate networking and social events. So far, this has had to be largely virtual, but it could be even more rewarding in real life.
What’s your favourite part of an exec meeting?
For me, it’s not just a single meeting: it’s the cumulative effect of spending a season together and meeting regularly as a team. I don’t think there’s anything better.
If you didn’t have your current role on the exec, what role would you pick?
My current role is pretty ideal for me, although I was also drawn to the positions of communications chair and programs chair because they resemble roles I’ve had in the past. And the “liaising” part of the vice-chair’s responsibilities sounds like it could be a natural progression of what I’m doing now.
This article was copy edited by Vilma Indra Vītols, a freelance editor and opera singer living in Toronto. She is a member of PLAIN (Plain Language Association International) and sings with the Canadian Opera Company chorus.
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