Meet our fearless leaders
You’re having a party and you’ve got the guest list figured out.
But what should you have for food and drink? How are you going to entertain everyone? Where are they all going to sleep?
Now imagine this on the scale of an IFAJ Congress.
We have had some fearless and enthusiastic co-chairs taking the reins on planning to welcome you to this Canadian soiree, and it is a big job.
Annemarie Pedersen is grateful for that “co” in co-chair, she said.
Between herself, Trevor Baque, and Jessika Guse, they are sorting through the massive To-Do lists and have hit the ground running.
“We are kind of conducting and trying to keep all of the people rolling and making sure we're not missing any bits and pieces,” Annemarie said. “I've got the binder, you know, with all the little tabs that say registration and tours, and it's like, okay, what do we need for tours for the next two weeks, so we can get registration going?”
Here is a little more about the extraordinary people that have become our fearless leadership team.
Annemarie Pedersen
I came to communications about 20 years ago and knew I wanted to work in agriculture. I completed my applied degree at Mount Royal College and I have worked for agencies, livestock and crop companies and associations, and started my own consultancy in 2015. I have been lucky to work for many of my past employers and also tried some new things, most recently serving as Executive Director for Alberta Farm Animal Care for five years. I became a member of AFWA/CFWF in 2006 and it has been the best thing I have ever done- professionally but also personally. We work with an incredible community of people and many have become dear friends. I have attended six IFAJ Congresses over the years and I am incredibly excited to welcome our international colleagues to Canada and show them my home province.
Jessika Guse
For close to a decade, Jessika Guse has covered a variety of news topics as a journalist including politics, sports, community events, and crime. However, agriculture was one of her favourites. The love for the farm sprouted at a young age when she grew up close to her family's homestead in east central Saskatchewan before moving to Calgary, Alberta. Since then, her journalism career has taken her across all three prairie provinces. Guse's passion for storytelling has placed her in a variety of roles over the years including reporter, news anchor, photographer, social media manager, web writer, videographer, assistant director, and most recently — Audience Engagement Editor with Glacier FarmMedia. As a member of the Alberta Farm Writers' Association (AFWA) she also serves as a member of the executive committee which in turn has led her to be the western member at large under the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation (CFWF) umbrella and also serves as vice-president. When the opportunity arose to become one of the three co-chairs for the 2023 IFAJ World Congress, Guse leaped at the task. As this year's congress will be her first, she's excited to meet people from around the world and listen to their experiences in ag journalism along with (hopefully!) learning tips and tricks they're willing to share.
Trevor Bacque
A freelance writer and editor and an 11-year member of the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation and International Federation of Agricultural Journalists, Trevor Bacque began his journalism career as a general reporter in 2010. After transitioning full-time into agriculture, he co-founded GrainsWest, a quarterly farming magazine. By 2017, he shifted to working full-time as a freelancer and consultant. Nationally, he served as the CFWF vice-president (2016-2018) and president (2018-2021); today he is the country's executive member for the IFAJ. As the 2023 Congress inches closer to its start date, Bacque is most excited about networking with international colleagues and helping to present the many facets of Alberta's agriculture industry.
In the fashion of an amazing leadership crew, they insist that it is a team effort.
“It's a great experience,” said Annemarie, “and we're working with really awesome volunteers.”
We’ll be speaking with more of our fantastic volunteers as we get closer to June, so be sure to come back to read more.
