Claire Watson, No. 2 staffer at the Int’l Assn. of Business Communicators where she was external relations team lead, was fired on Friday, July 25 although she reportedly had a three-year contract.
Watson, a Canadian who has had leadership roles in IABC for 17 years including extensive work on its Gold Quill awards program, is consulting legal counsel, friends said.
Watson feels “betrayed and devastated” by the sudden canning, they said.
IABC had fired 16 of its 32 staffers in late 2012, touching off howls from the fired staffers and many of the members who said the mass dismissals violated every known canon of internal communications.
Some of those dismissed reportedly have filed legal actions and/or complaints with government bodies but no such actions have yet become public.
Carlos Fulcher, a Certified Assn. Executive, joined IABC in June.
Melissa Dark, a citizen of Australia, joined in the same month as director of communications and member services.
The group, which lost $528,573 in 2013 and saw its net assets plunge to $680,013 from $1,209,086, drew criticism from members for allowing its leadership to spend $589,187 on travel, meals and hotels for the board or about 10% of revenues of $5,666,483.
Chair is Russell Grossman, a U.K. government PR employee. Neither he nor Fulcher nor Dark have responded to questions about the reported firing of Watson.
U.S. Execs a Minority on Board
Seven of the 12 members of the 2014 board live outside the U.S.
Vice chair is Michael Ambjorn of London. Directors who live outside the U.S. are Sharon Hunter of Canada; Vita Kernel, Slovenia; Ritzi Ronquillo, Philippines; Rosario Sheen, Peru, and Claudia Vaccarone, Paris.
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U.S. directors are (Ms.) Terry Cerisoles, Turner Broadcasting, Atlanta; Robin McCasland, formerly at Dell but current employer not identified; Michael Ambrozewicz, Direct TV, Los Angeles; Ginger Homan, counselor in Tulsa, and Cindy Schmieg, communications professor, Augsburg College, Minneapolis.
More than 90% of IABC members reside in the U.S. and Canada.
Reporters were banned from the 2014 Annual General Meeting in Toronto June 10. Not attending in 2014 was Dave Murray, operator of the writingboots blog, who was likened to a “dog humping in the park” at the 2013 meeting in New York by chair Robin McCasland.
Watson, according to her bio led “a high energy team responsible for integrated marketing communications activities, member services, conferences and events and strategic planning. Together with an army of amazing volunteers and other staff members, her term is focused on delivering leading edge programs and services to IABC members around the world.”
Formerly president of the Words with Wings service that provides communication consulting, executive writing and training in various forms of communications, she was called “a master communicator with a passion for excellence.”
She has received 30 international and more than 150 national and Canadian provincial awards of excellence during a career that included 17 years of leadership roles in IABC.
She continues on the IABC International Career Roadmap Committee that is training IABC awards judges. She is also leading in the “revitalization” of its Gold Quill program.
Watson is the national program director for the IABC Canada West Regional Board and has led Canada’s Silver Leaf awards since 2009.
She received the 2012 IABC Chairman’s Award for global leadership in communications and service to IABC.
IABC, reflecting declines in corporate PR employment, showed a drop in net assets from $1M in 2012 to $222K in 2016 after a dip to $14K in 2015.
The International Association of Business Communicators, which lost $529K in 2013, needs new sources of revenues and should target the 28 million small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S., says chair Russell Grossman.
A dispute with web builder that has tied up $552,067 in funds, zooming severance and legal payments from firing 16 staffers en masse, “whopping” rent of $430,000, zoomng board expenses and other financial woes were told to IABCers yesterday.
Melissa Dark, an Australian internal communications consultant and former corporate staffer, has joined International Association of Business Communicators in San Francisco as director of communication and member services.
International Association of Business Communicators lost $529,073 in 2013 as revenues dipped $684,444 based on a report by blogger Dave Murray. A loan of $250,000 was taken to fund a new website.
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