Audrey Aczel

Communications Manager

In this role, Audrey manages the association's corporate brand, and oversees the communications strategy, including the website, social media channels, newsletters, media releases, and publications such as the Annual Report, Factsheets and other resources. She also supports the various strategic areas of OCA with their communications needs. Through her work, Audrey helps raise the profile of Ontario’s co-operative sector, promotes the co-operative principles, values and identity, and encourages engagement in co-operative programs, services and events.

Audrey takes an active role in planning and executing OCA's events, including the Annual General Meetings, Queen’s Park receptions and breakfast meetings, and educational webinars. Through contract with the Directors’ Forum Co-operative, she has organized and managed their annual credit union fall governance conference and AGMs since 2012, as well as virtual governance sessions since 2020.

Since joining OCA in January 2007, Audrey has adopted many roles and applied her skills to various strategic areas, which included overseeing the association’s Government Relations strategic area for six years (2007 - 2012). She also managed the organization’s Co-operative Internship Program (CIEP) for six years (2008-2013), negotiating and administering a funding partnership with Service Canada that provided over 100 post-secondary graduates with paid internship placements in co-operatives across the province. As part of this program, Audrey organized numerous skills-based workshops for the interns and assisted in finding full-time employment for many of the program’s graduates within the co-operative sector.

Audrey studied Communications and Spanish at Carleton University and obtained her Masters degree in Communications from McGill University in 1997. She took post-graduate courses in Event Planning and Management at George Brown College and completed the Executive Education course with the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University in 2017. Born and raised in Toronto, Audrey moved to Guelph in 2006 and has never looked back. She plays volleyball year-round as a way to keep herself active and fulfil her love of sport.