By Hannah Bernstein
After much soul-searching and no small amount of angst, I have decided it’s time…time to look to a future post CBA. Over the last few months it has become clear to me that I’m ready for the next phase of my life. I will be retiring from the CBA on January 18, 2017 after almost four decades.
When I started working at the CBA in the late 1970s, landlines, pink message slips, and Selectric typewriters were the norm. The work day had a beginning and an end; research meant checking in books. Photocopies and faxes were outsourced; “online” and “Internet” weren’t yet words in our vocabulary.
But while technology never stands still, there has been at least one constant: I have come to know some of the brightest, most capable and amazing people over the years. I have had the privilege of working with presidents, executives, committees, sections and forums from every part of our country. I have attended CBA meetings, conferences, brainstorming sessions and panel discussions in more places than I can count.
I came of age at the CBA, celebrating personal milestones including my marriage in 1986, birth of our two daughters in 1988 and 1990, and, more recently, their launch into the world. I couldn’t be more proud of their success.
Here in Ottawa, I work with some of the smartest, talented and most articulate people. I am fortunate to count many of my colleagues among my personal friends. We enjoy a camaraderie where, whether we agree or disagree, we are free to express a point of view in an honest and respectful atmosphere.
While the decision is firm, the emotions are mixed. I will miss team spirit, the adrenalin rush to finish a job on deadline, and the high of a debrief after a successful event. But the time has come to pass the torch. I leave confident that my Communications responsibilities like media relations and speech writing are in very capable hands.
To all of you with whom I have worked, I wish you well and thank you. Au revoir à tout le monde. It’s been a great run…