Valerie Dunn (1932 - 2022)

Not long after Valerie Dunn became involved in Business Professional Women, the current national editor passed away, and the national board appointed her as the new national editor, responsible for “The Business and Professional Woman” newspaper.
Wanting input and involvement from others, she developed an Action group around the publication, which eventually became the basis for the national Editorial Committee, which was represented on the board by an Editorial Chair. She was eventually also named the publisher, and acted as editor publisher until the publication was discontinued in 1998; a term of about 20 years.

During that time she attended her first International BPW Congress, in Montreaux, Switzerland, where she and member Mila Velshi, who had come to Canada from Kenya, did a presentation on Mutual Understanding, focusing on how they had met in the organization and discovered mutual goals. This attracted considerable attention at that Congress, because many women were unaware of the opportunities and cultural mix of Canada at the time. Val recalls, “We did our presentation as a dialogue, and five women from South Africa sitting in the front row, were literally crying. This was during apartheid, and for them it was very moving that an Anglo Saxon WASP and a woman of Kenya could meet in BPW, share and become close friends, in a way that was common for us in Canada but something totally out of their experience at that time.”

Val was a member of the Toronto East chapter of BPW until 2008 then she joined North Toronto BPW.
Val credits her involvement in the BPW organization with helping her get the courage to go on her own and succeed in the highly competitive Toronto marketplace. “But most of all,” she says, “I value the wonderful friendships I have made in BPW. Serving at the national level I have met and interacted with women all over Canada, and that means a great deal to me.”

Throughout her life, Valerie was very involved in various choirs such as the Gilbert & Sullivan society, a Baptist choir, Ontario Presbyterian Chorus and her church choir.

Valerie became the assistant to the Editor of the Presbyterian Record in 1972. Valerie quit The Record around 1978 to begin her own publishing business. Valerie owned Val Publications producing Hi-Rise for over 40 years, this paper was distributed to townhouses and apartments throughout Toronto, and Valerie was working on the latest issue, when she passed.

Valerie turned 90 in January and we give thanks for her contribution to the community through her newspaper, church and Business Professional Women.