Cara oversees the communications activities for the Office of the Chief Science Advisor, and advises on
strategic planning, media relations, and issues management. Prior to that, she managed science
communications in the Government of Canada’s department of Innovation, Science and Economic
Development. Cara holds a degree in Literature and Philosophy from Carleton University in Ottawa. She
has written widely on science communication, and has managed strategic communications for several
national programs such as Canada’s former science and technology strategy and a large-scale
investment fund for postsecondary institutions. She is the recipient of numerous awards for her work in communications, including the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Assistant Deputy
Minister’s Award of Excellence, Industry Canada Communications DG Award for Outstanding
Performance in Management and in Strategic Communications, as well as the departmental
communicators’ Greenest Employee Award. Cara is a member of the Canadian Science Writers
Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the Federal Science
Communicators Committee.