Joyce Byrne, vice president and associate publisher of Venture Publishing, which publishes titles including Alberta Venture and Alberta Oil, has been named Magazines Canada’s Volunteer of the Year for 2011.



"A generous and tireless volunteer, Byrne has for many years focused on supporting Canada’s cultural magazines and the publishing industry in Alberta. She has served as a director on the Magazines Canada Board for 10 years. She currently sits on the association’s Government Relations committee and MagNet curriculum task force, and has chaired the Professional Development committee since 2007," reads the announcement from Magazines Canada.

“Joyce is a wonderful mentor for the magazine community,” said Deborah Morrison, Magazines Canada board chair and president and CEO of Canada’s National History Society. “She's a talented publisher who is always enthusiastic about sharing her knowledge and networks with others. Most importantly, she always does so with warmth and humour.”

In Alberta, Byrne currently serves on the board of the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association and sits on the association's conference committee, according to Mags Canada. "She regularly lends her time and expertise to professional development in the province, and visits post-secondary schools to talk about the publishing industry."

Prior to joining Venture Publishing, Byrne was publisher of Toronto-based This magazine.