Melissa Calixte has always been fascinated with media relations. Early in her career, Melissa realized that companies that don’t invest and build solid communication units as part of their corporate structure leave themselves exposed and without the defences to safeguard themselves, inform their public, correct fake news, and assist organizational leaders in media relations. More importantly, organizations that lack communication specialist expertise create a void – a void that leaves them vulnerable to journalists and influencers whose message focus may not be on the facts.
After completing a Graduate Diploma in Public Relations and Communication Management at McGill University, Melissa began her career as communications coordinator at CAE. As a member of the media relations team, Melissa is responsible for managing the organization’s external communications and support the company’s different communications teams.
There’s never a dull day at CAE. The company specializes in the niche market of unleashing the power of technology (simulators) to make the aviation, defense and security, and healthcare industries safer. Melissa and her team are responsible for preparing weekly press releases, responding to media requests, and packaging CAE’s quarterly and annual financial publications. On any given day, Melissa may find herself helping strategize CAE’s media visibility and support the advisors in providing media training to its spokespeople. Melissa also provides writing and editing support for several of CAE’s internal communications teams. This allows her to sharpen her writing skills as well as become knowledgeable of the peculiarities of the niche markets in which CAE participates.
Melissa believes that no matter one’s career stage, an IABC membership provides multiple opportunities to gain experience through volunteering, professional development workshops and the value-added benefit of career guidance through the chapter-led mentoring programs. With the help of IABC Québec, Melissa was afforded the tremendous opportunity to have a mentor for over a year. This person was a dedicated professional who provided her with specialized and personalized career guidance that could not have been found anywhere else.
As a young careerist, Melissa joined IABC to gain a better insight into the communications world and to network with other professionals. Virtual and in-person learning sessions and regular electronic newsletters keep her and her team in the know of the trends, fads and classics within Toronto, Canada, and the global communications community.
In Melissa ‘s opinion, communication is the blood of an organization. Communicators circulate and maintain the flow of information internally and externally, as well as being a conduit and repository for all the happenings within the organization’s departments. They keep an ear to the ground and listen to the buzz coming from their internal and external stakeholders. They ensure the right information gets to the right people at the right time. As for the future of communications, Melissa predicts the field will continue to grow and gain the respect and value from executives around the world.
Melissa is adamant that the mentorship experience gained with IABC Québec helped her discover the diversity of the communication fields. This knowledge assisted her in clearly defining what communication roles she wanted to pursue. While still in school, she started her own social media management company. It’s that social media experience that she tapped into for her volunteer role with the Ovation 2023 awards.
In addition to a Graduate Diploma in Public Relations and Communication Management, Melissa holds a Diploma of Collegial Studies (DEC) in Social Work and a bachelor’s degree in political science (International Relations concentration).
Melissa volunteers with Hoodstock, where she is the President of the Board. Melissa speaks passionately on the topics of social justice and politics. In her free time, Melissa loves to read, lift weights and has plans to run a 5 km marathon in 2024.