Bev Wake to become next Executive Director of National Newspaper Awards

TORONTO, Sept. 7, 2021 /CNW/ – The Board of Governors of the National Newspaper Awards (NNAs) is pleased to announce the appointment of Bev Wake as the organization’s next Executive Director, effective July 1, 2022. She will replace Paul Woods, who is stepping down at the end of the organization’s current fiscal year next June.

To facilitate a successful transition, Wake will work closely with Woods and Program Director Sharon Hockin in all aspects of NNA operations from now until her appointment takes effect.

Based in Vancouver, Wake is a journalism instructor at Kwantlen Polytechnic Institute. Previously she spent nearly two decades working in a variety of roles within the Postmedia newspaper chain.

“We are thrilled to have found a candidate of Bev’s calibre for this vitally important position,” said Paul Samyn, Chair of the NNA Board of Governors. “Individuals who have worked with her, from senior newsroom leaders to journalists she supervised, speak highly of her extraordinary work ethic, collaborative approach, strong organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail. These attributes will build on our rich tradition of rewarding journalistic excellence while helping our competition become more diverse and inclusive.”

Wake began her career as a journalist at community newspapers on Vancouver Island before joining the Ottawa Citizen, where she later worked as the newspaper’s Sports Editor. She then moved to the Vancouver Sun and held a number of leadership roles there, including Sports/Olympic Editor, News Editor for Multimedia Projects, City Editor and National Olympic Editor.

Wake was appointed as Senior Executive Producer, Sports, for Postmedia Network in 2014. She led coverage of major sports events and was on-site editor at Olympic Games held between 2006 and 2016.

She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from Carleton University. Wake was recognized for leadership in sports media in 2017 by the Paul Carson Broadcast and Media Awards.

She oversaw work by Postmedia journalists on a series of stories about youth concussions, which won the NNA in the Sports category for 2015.

This is the 72nd year of the awards program, which was established in 1949 to encourage excellence and reward achievement in daily newspaper work in Canada. The competition is now open to daily newspapers, news agencies and online news sites approved for entry by the Board of Governors.

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