James Hale , BA / 77

James Hale first volunteered for Carleton University in 1978, when he started an eight-year stint as a program host and producer at CKCU-FM. In 1999, he joined the Editorial Advisory Committee of the Carleton University Magazine, and in 2005 became Chair of the EAC. After serving two terms in that position, he assumed a new role as Communications Chair on the Executive Council of the CUAA. An English major at Carleton, Hale began a career in journalism in 1977, and has since published more than 1,750 articles in a wide variety of publications and served as editor on the staffs of several magazines. For 10 years, he was the jazz critic for The Ottawa Citizen, and he has been a regular contributor to DownBeat magazine since 1997. In 2009, he was voted Journalist of the Year in the National Jazz Awards. Since 1986, Hale has been principal of James Hale Writing & Editing, and in that capacity has provided writing services and communications counsel to a diverse group of clients in the public and private sectors. For seven years, 1989-96, he was a speechwriter for the chief executive officers at Bell Canada and the Stentor group of telecommunications companies. In 1999, he developed a national network of media relations advisors for Elections Canada, and he has served as a national spokesperson for the federal agency in three general elections. Hale is the author of three books and the co-author of four others.