GIS boss finally gets OK
(CNS): With more than enough ‘rehearsals’ after acting in the role for well over two years, Angela Piercy has finally been confirmed as GIS Marketing and Communications (GIS) unit’s Chief Information Officer. Piercy has been in the unit for over ten years and was appointed acting CIO in December 2007 following the departure of Pat Ebanks. Officials said her appointment has been made retroactively to September 2009. Very familiar with her post already, Piercy said the current goal is to convince government to shift the GIS approach from purely tactical to more strategic.
“Government’s information needs continue to change and as much as is financially possible, we must stay ahead of communication trends,” Piercy explained. She also places a high premium on professionalism, focusing on such key performance indicators as timeliness, quality, creativity and foresight.
“GIS is a fast-paced, multi-discipline communications agency. We provide government ministries and departments with public relations and marketing services, including communications strategies, visual and electronic media communications, crisis communications, and press conference organisation and facilitation,” she added. "This means we have to be able to produce superior work against tight deadlines – a difficult challenge that the staff must meet consistently. And they do.”
Piercy began her GIS career in December 1998 as an information officer and was promoted to Manager of Information and Public Affairs in January 2006. In that position, she supervised the development of branding, marketing and public communications strategies.
Her assignment as Acting Chief Information Officer followed the retirement of the then CIO Patricia Ebanks. “Pat was dedicated to public service,” Piercy said. “She also was instrumental in providing significant opportunities for me to improve as a communicator – especially through on-the-job training and educational pursuits.”
Piercy has a master’s in integrated marketing communications from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, and a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from St. Bonaventure University in Olean, New York.
Shehas more than 20 years media experience, including extended periods as a journalist and newspaper editor, both in the US and locally.
Category: Local News
All tactices come from strategy — I cannot imagine that that GIS does not already have a segment of staff that is responsible for developing public information strategies.
Or is the new thinking that GIS should no longer write press releases or develop other tactical methods of comunication?
Of course the unit should develop its strategic services to function more effectively; of course it must also be pressing goverment to be strategic in its approach. Heaven help us if has not in all this time sought to communicate that message. But can it realistically think that it won’t have to put strategies into effect through development of appropriate tactics?
Government needs an agency that will naturally gravitate to strategy as a fundamental part of its work, but will also be industrious enough to craft carefully targeted tactics to effect strategies. This duality is especially important in the small public relations environment in which we live.
Otherwise, we may as well shut the shop down.