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2010 Montreal Area Council
About the Montreal Area Council Her primary Council responsibilities extend to all areas of leadership, including establishing the direction Council takes in relation to its vision. Valerie is a hands-on leader. She manages Council meetings and helps to organize activities such as learning seminars, career booths, events and tours. She represents the interests of the Montreal Council at National meetings and at conference, and also works to promote CITT to business and academic interests in Quebec. Like most CITT professionals, Valerie pursued the CITT designation over a period of time and dedicated many hours to study after her normal workday had ended. She earned her CITT designation in January of 2004. After taking time off for a family, she went back to the classroom in order to complete her MBA. When the previous Council chair decided to step down, Valerie felt she was ready as both a CITT member and as a leader to take over. “I had two strong pillars of support within the Montreal Council to introduce me to the role,” said Valerie. “Daniel Vendette, CITT, who was Chair at the time, and past Chair Tracey Raimondo, CITT. After I had worked as Vice Chair for a few years, Daniel advised me that he was looking to transfer the lead. With such a great team of executives and mentors already in place, I decided the time was right to seek the position.” The short and long term goals of the Montreal Council will be to continue to promote CITT locally and to create visibility through networking and educational activities. Visibility for CITT within the industry is vital, and Valerie and the other Council members are eager to grow their list of contacts. “Through another strong pillar of the Council, Mr. Serge Faucher, we recently became acquainted to the Quebec Ministry of Transportation and had the opportunity to offer our members a conference related to the Quebec road infrastructures and major restoration projects for the next five years.“ But there are still many challenges ahead. Generating member participation is an ongoing issue in Montreal, as it is with every Council. In a weak economy, time and resources are at a premium. And promoting a national career development program like CITT to a regional market that is also bilingual can be difficult. However, the career benefits of participation in a CITT Council always offset the drawbacks, especially when it comes to career development and sourcing job leads. Valerie feels volunteering with the Montreal Council, or even just dropping by an event as a guest, pays off in networking, which is why it is so important to attend. There are also many advantages when it comes to face time at a Council event for people with questions about their job. One of the best, yet most under utilized aspect of Council events, is gaining access to a vast storehouse of industry expertise all in one place. People in attendance are an untapped resource, and possess high levels of knowledge and experience. Chances are any question you have about your job or the industry in general can be answered. And what does the near future hold for the Montreal Area Council? Reposition 2011 is scheduled to be held in Montreal. This annual event remains successful thanks to the tireless efforts of CITT Councils working at local levels. Valerie feels the members of the Montreal Council will be ready and they are eager to start promoting Reposition 2011 to the people of Quebec. * * * * * * * * For more information on the Montreal Area Council, please contact Valerie McSween at val.mcsween@sympatico.ca
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The new Chair of the 2010-11 Montreal Area Council is Valerie McSween, CITT. Valerie currently works as the Vice-President, Eastern Region, for Mactrans Logistics based in Montreal. When she is not busy with Mactrans, she is busy volunteering her time and energy to the Montreal Council.