Alayna Ward, Owner & Senior Consultant
Alayna is an advocate of using positive public relations to help people tell their stories, increase public trust, and build good reputations and prides herself on her professional yet easygoing nature, honest advice and creative vision.
With a communications career starting in in health care, Alayna also worked in the non-profit and corporate world before moving to a government role. Here, she quickly advanced to manage the communications function of one of the largest departments in the Government of the Northwest Territories before becoming Senior Policy Advisor to the Deputy Minister. Alayna combined her love of policy, communications and community development and branched out to open Award Communications in 2015. Since that time, Award Communications has worked with various Indigenous and local governments, non-profits and organizations by providing communications and policy expertise and focuses on those that bring economic benefits, improvements and opportunities to local people and communities.
Alayna is an active volunteer and has held various board positions including the Vice President of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce; Vice-Chair, Stanton Territorial Hospital Foundation; YWCA NWT; and International Association of Business Communicators Polar Chapter. She volunteered as the Communications Director to the Honourable Caroline Wawzonek during her 2019 election campaign and provided communications support to Mayor Rebecca Alty during the City of Yellowknife 2018 Mayoral Campaign.
Alayna holds a BA from Saint Thomas University and an advanced Public Relations diploma from MacEwan University, with various other certificates and training in speech writing, facilitation and community leadership. Originally from Nova Scotia, Alayna lived in Japan, Australia, England and Finland before making Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Chief Drygeese Territory and the traditional territory of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation her home for nearly 15 years. In 2019, Alayna and her husband moved to Quinte West, Ontario where she continues to work with clients across the country and connect communities with opportunities.
Awards & Recognition
- Breakout New Business of the Year Award from Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce (2015)
- Deputy Minister's Recognition Awards from the Government of the Northwest Territories for planning and media management of Energy and Mines Conference (2013) and public awareness campaign on water safety (2014)
- Young Woman of Vision Award from Global Edmonton for her commitment to raising the profile of organizations through the use of effective and positive public relations (2007)
Contact Alayna at alayna@awardcommunications.ca.
