I am an award-winning public speaker, writer, and editor with an extensive background in public affairs and communications.

As a former Calgary Herald journalist and a columnist for a national publication, my work has appeared in several anthologies as well as in almost every major newspaper in Canada. At the European Voice, an independent newsweekly published by The Economist Group and distributed throughout Brussels, Strasbourg, Luxembourg and London, I covered a wide range of European Union affairs, including the EU-Mediterranean Summit in Paris, hosted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

I have published two children's books and recently co-edited a volume of essays on the enhancement of Canada-EU relations. I speak five languages and am fluent in three of them, including French and Russian. In 2000, I had the opportunity to interpret for Mikhail Gorbachev’s entourage during his visit to the University of Calgary.

In 2008, I was invited to speak on the role of women in journalism at a conference held at the University of Latvia in Riga and subsequently published my presentation findings in a volume on social policies in Canada and the Baltic States.

I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Russian with Distinction as well as a Bachelor of Commerce, which I completed on full academic scholarship.

I am currently completing a Master's degree in Journalism Studies.

I have held positions in investor and media relations, community relations, and public affairs in the fields of healthcare, oil and gas, government, research, and education.

When I'm not salsa dancing, watching documentary films, or traveling across the globe, I contribute to a number of publications around the world and keep my eyes open for new and exciting opportunities.