Elana Aptowitzer
Head of speechwriting—Canada’s Department of National Defence
Sessions:Elana Aptowitzer is the head of speechwriting at Canada’s Department of National Defence, leading on the development of all speeches for the Minister, Deputy Ministers and the Chief of the Defence Staff. In 2016, Elana launched Canada’s first Speechwriting Community of Practice for professional speechwriters within the Federal Public Service. Prior to her work in Speechwriting, Elana spent nearly a decade working as a spokeswoman and advisor to the Department of National Defence on issues related Canada’s defence relations with the global community, Arctic matters, Canada’s mission in Afghanistan, and domestic operations. She has taken on private sector clients as the founder of Apt Words Communications, has conducted speechwriting seminars at Carleton University, and has offered communications guidance to several charities on a volunteer basis. Before her career, Elana received an Hon.BA. in Political Science and Sociology from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and an M.A. in Strategic Communications from American University in Washington, DC. When Elana is not writing speeches, she is passionately engaged in discussions about working parenthood and the quest to balance career and family life. In that quest, her greatest inspirations are her husband and three young children, who live with her in Canada’s gorgeous capital city, Ottawa.