Taweel Communicates for Excellence
Bethany Chaisson // January 9, 2012
Imagine waking up one day and being responsible for the delivery of key messages that affect the well-being of your province’s citizens. Tracey Taweel does not have to imagine this at all: sending out messages quickly and efficiently is just one her many responsibilities as the Associate Deputy Minister for the Government of Nova Scotia’s Communications Department. Along with this high-demand career, she is a busy wife, mother, and professor at Mount Saint Vincent University. Tracy has two undergraduate degrees and a masters, and has returned to the Mount in a new role as sessional instructor for the Department of Communication Studies. She is back to help deliver what she calls the Mount’s “commitment to excellence”.
Tracey graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and in 1994 with a Bachelor of Public Relations. She was the fall convocation’s class valedictorian in 2009 when she received her Masters of Public Relations on the topic of citizen engagement using social media–the subject matter fit very well with both her past and present work for government.
She began her career with the federal government, where she worked for Health Canada before moving to the provincial government’s communications department. The tasks of Associate Deputy Minister focus on the issues of the moment such as health, economic growth, and fiscal responsibility. It is Tracey’s responsibility, being the head of this department, to ensure that the needs of both the government and the public are being properly met through effective and transparent two-way communication. Tracy enjoys her position as sessional instructor at the Mount, as it offers yet another way to immerse herself in communications, yet differs from her career with the government.
Tracey Taweel has taught both introductory and upper-level courses since she began teaching at Mount Saint Vincent University in 2003. Tracey claims that the rewards of teaching outweigh the challenges; she finds it gratifying, and loves that she is able to see student progression, as well as always having a first-hand look at the new crop of workers in the public relations field.
Following a lecture this year in Tracey’s introductory level communications course on the topic of social media, student Matthew Weyman said: “In October, I was feeling the weight of school and work-related responsibilities. Tracey’s class pulled me out of that. With just one inspiring class, I was reminded why I was here. Her attention to the necessity of social media in our field was critical in my realization that my career path in public relations will be social-media focused”.
When Tracey is not planning communication projects or teaching courses, she can be found cooking, running, and spending time with her labradoodle puppy and daughter. With her work in social media, she is helping citizens of Nova Scotia stay informed and is keeping communications students at the Mount up-to-date on the latest messaging techniques. Tracey has truly put knowledge into practice using the many skills she acquired and continues to shape at Mount Saint Vincent University.
