Public Relations (Graduate Certificate)

Having educated and mentored thousands of communications professionals, Annette has been on the leading edge of innovative, strategic, and memorable stories and events for over 20 years. She has a global perspective, a commitment to meaningful communications and an entrepreneurial drive rooted in helping others achieve success. Her ability to build authentic relationships enables her to create positive change and amplify voices needing to be heard in the world. She is an award-winning educator, program co-ordinator and professor.  

Annette holds a master of science in communication management from Syracuse University, and she is a winner of the American Women in Public Relations Award for Professional Development. Currently, she is an award-winning PR professor, program co-ordinator and distinguished faculty at Humber College. Connect with Annette on LinkedIn: Annette Borger, MSc.

Vince J. Ciarlo has been a communications professional for over 20 years and has been teaching in Humber College’s Faculty of Media & Creative Arts since 2008. He has worked in an agency environment, as well as an entrepreneur, with a variety of clients in a variety of industries, including arts, culture, lifestyle, and non-profit. In 2017, his boutique-style agency was nominated for the INSPIRE Awards’ LGBTQ Positive Business of the Year. Vince has sat on a number non-profit boards and continues to be an active volunteer. He graduated in 2003 with a BA in Sociology from York University, holds a Public Relations Certificate from Toronto Metropolitan University, and is currently working on a master's degree in adult education from Central Michigan University.

In addition to teaching at Humber, during the fall semester, Vince continues to work in the communications industry and seeks out unique and interesting projects that feed his curiosity and makes life interesting.

After an exciting thirty+ year career with the Government of Canada, Monika Deeg D’Amato retired to pursue another one of her great passions, that of teaching. As an academic professor at Humber College, she serves to inspire post-grad students in the Faculty of Media and Creative Arts. In addition to teaching, Monika also works to give back by eagerly accepting speaking opportunities on a range of topics including her own mental health journey, and by volunteering within her community.

Prior to retiring, Monika held an executive position as the director of corporate learning and national service delivery with Employment and Social Development Canada managing teams across Canada. In her career with the federal government, she has held a variety of positions in communications, corporate affairs, change management, HR, strategic planning and operations, and worked in a number of departments’ including Heritage Canada, Citizenship and Immigration, Department of National Defence, and the Ontario Federal Council.

Monika holds a master's in public administration from Dalhousie University, a bachelor of arts degree and a bachelor of social work degree from McMaster University, a diploma in human resources from Seneca College, and is a graduate of the Government of Canada CAP program and Direxion Leadership Development program for aspiring executives.

Mark Hunter LaVigne, MA, APR, FCPRS, has 30 years’ experience as a media relations specialist and has taught most recently in the PR degree programs at Humber and Centennial Colleges in his 16-year career as a part-time professor.

For the past 21 years, he has operated his own media relations and media training firm, Hunter LaVigne Communications Inc. For seven years prior to that, he worked for PR agencies in downtown Toronto including Ogilvy and Mather and Hill and Knowlton. Prior to his career in public relations, he worked as a radio journalist for five years in Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto with CKO, CJEZ, BN, and CBC Radio.

He has done client work for a number of companies including Aon, Kodak Canada, Maple Leaf Foods, McCormick Canada, Netflix, SANYO Canada, Schneider Foods, Sega, and volunteer board work with the Canadian Public Relations Society, Aurora Sports Hall of Fame, and Yellow Brick House women’s shelter.

He has a master of arts in ournalism from the University of Western Ontario and an honours bachelor of arts in mass communications and English from York University.

He is an award-winning, accredited member (APR) of the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS), and a member of the CPRS College of Fellows (FCPRS). He is a past president of CPRS Toronto and past vice-president of CPRS National.

He wrote the media relations chapter in Fundamentals of Public Relations and Marketing Communications (University of Alberta Press 2015) and is co-author of the new edition of In the News (3rd ed. University of Alberta Press 2019) and author of Proactive Media Relations in Canada (3rd ed. Centennial College Press 2019), with the French version published in 2020. An internal communications textbook was published in the summer of 2021.

Mark has also published a children’s book, The Adventures of Matilda the Tooth Fairy, and a number of songs with his former band, The Coyotes, “Out of the Woods." He continues to songwrite and perform on guitar, ukulele, vocals and harmonica.

The first book in his memoir series, “The Broken Ukulele, Advice for Twenty Somethings in a Broken World,” was published in April 2020 by Rock’s Mills Press, with the sequel, The Broken Turtle, due in June 2021.

He maintains his certification with the Canadian Ski Instructor’s Alliance, and is an avid canoe tripper and backpacker, mainly in Algonquin Park and environs, north of Toronto.

Sharleen Mascoll is an experienced public relations professional and accredited corporate responsibility practitioner with over 20 years' experience working in the public and private sectors across North America. She focuses on strategic community relations, effective communication strategies, marketing and diversity-based initiatives and multicultural workplace study projects.  ​

Sharleen is a Concordia University alumni, Organizational Development and Management, and a graduate of McGill University in their Training and Development certificate program. In 2021, Sharleen graduated from the University of London in the United Kingdom with a MSc Sustainable Development.  ​

​With over seven years teaching as a professor at Humber College, Sharleen believes in contributing positively to an inclusive student learning experience by supporting an enriched educational environment where students are motivated to learn in ways that support their personal and academic growth.   ​

Robert J. Plant (ABC, MAIS) is the program co-ordinator and a professor in the Advanced Public Relations program. After graduating from Humber’s PR graduate certificate program, Robert spent most of his career working in the corporate sector at GE Capital, Zurich Insurance and American Express and municipally for the City of Hamilton.

At Amex, Robert managed employee communications and the American Express Foundation’s philanthropic arts and cultural program in Canada. At the City of Hamilton, he supported internal clients including Planning & Economic Development and Community Services along with a stint providing counsel to the Mayor’s Office.

A guest speaking opportunity to Mohawk College PR students piqued his interest in education. Robert began teaching part time at the College in 2008 and joined Humber in 2013 instructing in the PR diploma and PR graduate certificate programs. Robert moved into a full-time position in 2017 and became program co-ordinator in 2020.

Robert holds a BA in political science from McMaster University and a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS) from Royal Roads University. Robert is an accredited business communicator (ABC). A dedicated volunteer, Robert served as president of the International Association of Business Communicators' (IABC) Golden Horseshoe Chapter and chaired IABC’s Canada Eastern Region Board.

Daniel Schneider is a professor in the Bachelor of Public Relations program. He brings over 15 years’ experience working in PR specializing in media relations and brand development.

For eight years, Daniel was an associate publicist at Pennant Media Group doing entertainment and lifestyle PR promoting artists, actors, musicians, filmmakers and production companies. In 2011, he founded Brand Management Agency with the tagline: “Every brand has a story to tell. We help you to discover it.”

In March 2021, Daniel presented a virtual TEDxHumberCollege talk, called “Pivoting better during a time of crisis,” discussing how companies need to predict the future and pivot quickly to develop competitive solutions that drive change into the future.

With background in the visual arts, Daniel entered the field of communication to raise awareness for artistic talent in Canada. He completed a Master of Fine Arts at the University of Guelph where he researched social influence in the art world.

A full-time professor in Faculty of Media & Creative Arts, the courses Andrea teaches include social media, strategic communication planning, and communication theory, and she is a thesis supervisor. In addition to her teaching, she is an active member of the Canadian Public Relations Society; has presented at a variety of academic and industry conferences; delivered a TEDx talk; and started a podcast, PR Delivered.

She earned her PhD and undergrad degrees at the University of Toronto. Prior to teaching, she spent 14 years in advertising, government public affairs and public relations working for The Region of Peel, YTV, MTV and StarChoice Television.

Audrey Wubbenhorst is a professor and board director. She currently teaches public relations and corporate communications at Humber College where she has received several research grants to research and write case studies on the impact of social media on business.

Prior to joining Humber, Audrey spent over a dozen years at BMO Bank of Montreal. She worked in a wide variety of roles including communications, marketing, human resources and commercial banking. She has served on several boards including the National Diabetes Trust (NDT), Central LHIN, Build Toronto, Toronto Community Housing Corporation and Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter.

Audrey has an MA in Communications as well as an MBA. She graduated with a BA (Hons) from McGill University and has a certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility from St. Michael’s College (University of Toronto). She has also completed her ICD.D. designation with the Rotman School of Management.