Joanne Poloway - 2014
CSEG Meritorious Service Award Recipient Joanne Poloway
Citation by Kristy Manchul
Joanne Poloway served as Chairman for the Women in Seismic tournament twice: she first took over the tournament from 2006 – 2007 and then resumed the chair from 2010 – 2014. Throughout both of her terms, Joanne has been an excellent ambassador for our industry and has been a force directing our efforts towards raising monies for breast and ovarian cancer while providing a much needed avenue for peer networking.
In her first term as Chairman, Joanne moved the tournament to Fox Hollow and established a long-standing relationship with the golf course which helped them to tailor the event to meet our needs. As Joanne describes the tournament, it is “a networking event disguised as a golf tournament”, and she ensured that Fox Hollow was willing to allow for extralong golf rounds to accommodate beginner players and to maximize fun. She also chose that year to direct fundraising to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, so that we could have more direct involvement from the charity.
During Joanne’s second term as Chairman, there were two major milestones reached. Joanne brought the tournament into the fold of CSEG membership services, and a new partnership was formed. The CSEG recognized the importance of having a women-driven networking event, and helped increase the stature of the group through the development of a website and cross-promotions. As well, in 2013, Joanne had the privilege of receiving from the Alberta Cancer Foundation, a giant cheque in recognition of the WiSE Tournament’s overall donation of over $100,000.
Throughout both Joanne’s terms of leadership, she has had the unwavering support of her family (her husband Jason and two boys Jaxon and Jacob) and her colleagues at Sigma. Golfers, sponsors and the CSEG all agree that Joanne streamlined the tournament into an exceptional event for peer networking while maintaining a strong focus on community investment. With the Women in Seismic tournament entering its 15th year, Joanne Poloway is a most deserving recipient for the Meritorious Service Award.
