"Working with Alanna has been one of the best experiences I have had working with a communications consultant. She understands and appreciates what we do and has done a wonderful job capturing our development stories in Moldova. I very much hope to work with Alanna again!" —Ludmila Ungureanu, Program ManagerCatholic Relief Services, Chisinau, Moldova
"Alanna is avery committed, passionate, hard worker and results-oriented professional." —Dr. William Sabandar, Special Envoy of Secretary-General of Association of Southeast Asian Nations for post-Nargis Recovery, Jakarta, Indonesia
"We are happy with the books (documenting the response by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to Cyclone Nargis). We had a very good response from the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Dr. Surin Pitsuwan and conference participants [when the books were officially launched]. We could have not done it without Alanna. It was because of her editorial touch … that we had presentable books.” --Adelina Kamal, former head of the ASEAN Humanitarian Task Force for the Victims of Cyclone Nargis Coordinating Office in Myanmar
Our staff is entirely Cambodian, and Alanna was the only native English-speaking person at the magazine. During the 10 months that Alanna worked with us, the quality of our magazine greatly improved, not only thanks to her editing skills, but also her journalistic ethics and sense of teamwork.
Our journalists are very young and have little experience in journalism, but according to my observation and their feedback, they learnt a great deal while working with Alanna. Although frustrating for Alanna at times, her coaching and mentoring of the reporters was always conducted in a sensible manner. She would always put herself in their shoes and do her best to understand their way of reasoning. But when needed, Alanna would be strict with them, always in a calm and patient manner.
After her editing of articles, our journalists would learn to write catchy headlines and think thoroughly of good leads. They were also motivated to report on a specific story thanks to her enthusiastic support to story ideas.
Along with me, Alanna was also involved in the layout process and she was very resilient in completing the editing and proofreading of every issue by our printing deadline. After working closely with Alanna for several months, I am confident that she would be a great asset for an environment in which teamwork and experience-sharing are keywords. --Natacha Kim, Editor-in-Chief, Economics Today Phnom Penh, Cambodia
"For 10 years, Alanna was an extremely valued employee of Island Publishers, Vancouver Island’s largest community newspaper organization. After joining us as a reporter in October 1994 she demonstrated her willingness to learn, moving through positions of increased responsibility and authority to Editor of our third largest paper on the Island, the Saanich News.
Alanna and her paper were consistently recognized with quarterly and annual company Editorial Awards as well as recognition from the British Columbia and Yukon Community Newspaper Association and the Canadian Community Newspaper Association. She has proved she is skilled at nurturing the development of budding journalists.
Alanna is an extremely conscientious, hard working and creative individual. She was always interested in new developments within the company, willing to share her views and be part of our constant drive to improve our people and our papers as we serve our readers.
Alanna is a graduate of Leadership Victoria, an intense 10-month introduction into the community challenges we face in this area. She has strong leadership skills and is a “doer”, someone that can be relied upon to complete the task." —Jim Tighe, Former President, Black Press Vancouver Island, Victoria, Canada
“Alanna's dogged determination always impressed me; but moreover, the way she went about business — with a calm demeanor and a genuine smile — set her apart from other editors and writers I worked with. The results were always there, firmly on deadline. And yet there was a playfulness to the way she worked that was more than refreshing.” --David Lennam, Former Editor, Black Press Vancouver Island, Victoria, Canada
"From an academic perspective, Alanna demonstrated a great level of enthusiasm, autonomy and intellectual curiosity that led her to explore and research themes that always presented an intellectual challenge.
Furthermore, Alanna was an excellent, very dedicated learner who I remember very well because of her outstanding writing abilities and critical thinking skills. Her academic papers and class presentations were always very insightful and well structured around arguments logically articulated. She is also a well-rounded individual who is not only preoccupied with mastering a certain academic subject, but also is well informed and interested in social, economic and political affairs." --Dr. Alejandro Palacios, Associate Faculty Member, Royal Roads University, Victoria, Canada
"Alanna quickly established herself as one of our most outstanding learners. From her first days in class, it was evident Alanna was a woman of great promise!
Alanna is knowledgeable, well read, and capable of expressing herself in a graduate-level context. Her academic papers show foresight, leadership and a keen understanding of Human Security and Peacebuilding issues." --Dr. Paz Buttedahl, Former Program Director, MA Human Security & Peacebuilding program, Royal Roads University, Victoria, Canada
“Alanna Jorde writes with simplicity, grace and compassion in a poignant editorial about a native who went through a sexual assault court case at a residential school. Jorde took readers through the troubling experience in a way that make her newspaper part of the healing process. She has fulfilled the role of newspapers in tackling painful subjects and bringing them to a conclusion by recognizing the courage of the victims.” —Judges comments, British Columbia & Yukon Community Newspaper Association journalism awards
"Alanna Jorde’s three-part series, ‘Valleys of Despair,’ reported on the plight of farmers trying desperately to keep their land dry. The series explored the impact on the community of Saanich’s inadequate drainage management policies. Through good writing and effective illustrations, Alanna showed how residential housing and industrial development caused the problem and how a new plan promised to be a solution.” —Judges comments, Canadian Community Newspaper Association journalism awards
“The writing is inventive and never predictable. The quotable quotes and top ten approach make for enjoyable reading. The obvious extra effort made by the staff to complete the supplement shows they really know their community.” —Judges comments, British Columbia & Yukon Community Newspaper Association journalism awards
“The Esquimalt News Citizen of the Year celebrates the contributions made by an ordinary citizen and provides its community with a means of both defining and rewarding public service. Again, prime community service.” —Judges comments, British Columbia & Yukon Community Newspaper Association journalism awards