CTF President Mary-Lou Donnelly recognized as one of Canada's most powerful
women: Top 100 for 2010

Top 100™ Awards Recognize Top Female Achievers From Across Canada

TORONTO, Nov. 29 /CNW/ - The Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF), which represents nearly 200,000 teachers from across the country, is honored that its President, Mary-Lou Donnelly, is a recipient of the prestigious 2010 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100™ Awards, in the Professional category.

"I am truly humbled to receive this award and am thankful that I have been influenced in my career by so many female teacher colleagues who have helped to shape a prosperous and compassionate Canadian society," says CTF President and award recipient Mary-Lou Donnelly.

The Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards are Canada's most recognizable awards for the country's highest achieving female leaders in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Donnelly joins a community of 522 women across Canada who have received this recognition. The complete list of 2010 winners can be found at www.top100women.ca.

Donnelly, whose term as CTF President runs from 2009 to 2011, is a former President of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (2004-2008). She holds degrees from Acadia University (BA), Dalhousie (BEd), and Saint Mary's University (MA). In her 25-year career as a teacher and administrator, she has taught Core French, French Immersion, German and English at the elementary, junior and senior high school levels.

Among her many accomplishments, Donnelly is a founding member of the Coalition Against Workplace Violence -- a provincial lobby group of Nova Scotia public sector unions which helped bring about legislation protecting against emotional/verbal/physical violence in the workplace. She has a keen interest in social justice issues from national and international perspectives, especially with respect to child poverty, human trafficking, women's issues and achievement of the UN Millennium "Education for All" goals. She is the Federation's spokesperson on all issues related to education and teachers in Canada. In 2005, she was awarded a Canadian Progress Club Women of Excellence Award.

"Every year, we honor the exceptional female leaders of Canada," said Pamela Jeffery, Founder, Women's Executive Network. "They each have remarkable achievements and Top 100 is a mark of their success and how they have supported their communities, companies, and employees. Our Top 100 community is a powerful group of women who are at the top of their game, exemplify success and empower the next generation of women to take their careers to the next level."

The CTF President will be celebrated this evening at the Top 100 Awards Gala Dinner at the Allstream Centre in Toronto. The gala is the finale of a full-day celebration that offers Top 100 winners an exclusive morning of networking and professional development. The morning session will be followed by a Summit which allows participants the opportunity to meet Award recipients and enjoy an afternoon of professional development. The theme of this year's Summit is the Power of Collaboration and Connectivity. Details are available at www.top100women.ca.

About the Women's Executive Network

The Women's Executive Network (WXN) is Canada's most influential female audience and the country's leading organization dedicated to advancement and recognition of executive-minded women in the workplace. Since 1997, WXN has expanded rapidly to meet the needs of the growing number of female managers and executives across Canada. In the fall of 2008, WXN launched in Ireland, a first step in creating an international community of women leaders.

WXN now delivers innovative networking, mentoring and professional development to 16,000 members across Canada and Ireland. WXN is also a founding member of the Canadian Board Diversity Council, dedicated to increasing the diversity on corporate and federal public sector boards. More information details are available at www.wxnetwork.com or www.top100women.ca.

For further information:

or interview requests please contact:

Francine Filion, CTF Director of Communications, 613-899-4247 (cell) or 613-232-1505 (office)

or

Sarah Thompson, 416-361-1475 x235 [email protected]