Shelley Ambrose

Early Days

Shelley Ambrose was born in Chatham, Ontario. Her father was a geologist who became an executive in the oil industry and her mother was a teacher. When Ambrose was five years old, the family moved to Calgary. Her interest in journalism and her business savvy were demonstrated when, as a teenager, she began her own newspaper. Ambrose created the paper’s articles, cartoons and crossword puzzles. She also solicited advertisements and sold the paper door to door.

Ambrose’s parents were both alumni of the University of Western Ontario, and she had family in the London area. Those factors led Ambrose to enroll at Western. She graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature. Ambrose then earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism at Toronto’s Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University). After graduation, Ambrose worked as a journalist with the Globe and Mail and the Windsor Star.

Radio, Television and Literacy

From 1982 to 1997, Peter Gzowski hosted the hugely popular CBC Radio morning show Morningside. In 1986, Ambrose attended one of Gzowski’s book signings. Seeing the chaotic nature of the event, she brought him coffee and organized those waiting for his autograph. Her personality and initiative led Gzowski to hire her as his personal assistant. She later became one of Morningside’s producers. She was responsible for program planning, scheduling guests, preparing Gzowski for interviews, coordinating with the technical staff, managing the live show and organizing off-site promotions.

Ambrose’s work with Gzowski also involved helping him assemble several books of letters, interview excerpts and musings that became the Morningside Papers series. Ambrose also organized 120 golf tournaments across Canada. Through them, Gzowski raised more than $15 million to support literacy initiatives.

After Gzowski’s retirement, Ambrose became a television producer for journalist Pamela Wallin. The show, initially called Pamela Wallin Live, changed its name as it moved from a live to a taped television program on CBC and then CTV. As she had for Gzowski, Ambrose worked behind the scenes to oversee Wallin’s interviews with politicians, celebrities and newsmakers.

Organizer

Shelley Ambrose was among those who founded the Lakefield Literary Festival in 1995. Her enthusiasm, organizational skills and connections in the literary community helped establish the festival’s values and direction.

Ambrose was the project manager who organized CBC radio and television coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s 2002 tour of Canada in commemoration of her Golden Jubilee. Ambrose also planned the 12-day visit’s security and attended to the needs of the royal couple’s large entourage.

Four years later, Ambrose was among the organizers of US president Bill Clinton’s 60th birthday fundraiser in New York City and at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto. The Toronto event raised $2.5 million for the Clinton Foundation. It was to be used primarily to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Pamela Wallin was appointed Canada’s consul general in 2002. With an office in New York City, the consul general provides services to Canadian citizens and businesses in the United States while promoting Canada and Canadian interests in meetings, speeches, forums and dinners. Wallin appointed Ambrose to serve as one of the consulate’s public affairs officers. When Ambrose left in 2005, Wallin said that she is honest, direct, fun, and not only knows so many people but connects quickly with others by determining their interests and needs.

The Walrus

In November 2006, Shelley Ambrose was hired as publisher of the Walrus magazine and executive director of its foundation. The Walrus Foundation had become an official charity the year before. Its purpose was to raise revenue for the nearly bankrupt magazine, which was struggling to survive in the post-Internet print media market.

Ambrose determined that the magazine’s problem was not a lack of interest in quality writing but a reliance on an antiquated business model. She bolstered the work of the foundation, which continued to solicit funds from donors. But Ambrose also organized Walrus Foundation dinners, speeches, forums and other initiatives across the country. These raised funds and promoted the magazine while fulfilling its mandate to challenge and educate readers and train journalists. The Walrus Bookshelf, for instance, brought noted authors to secondary schools. It also distributed books to teachers and students. Ambrose also augmented the print magazine by taking it online with podcasts and an engaging website. All activities online and on various platforms were carefully planned to link with magazine articles. As a result of Ambrose’s initiatives, the magazine’s readership and subscriptions soared. Its finances stabilized, as nearly half the annual budget was funded through the foundation.

Ambrose resigned from the Walrus in June 2020. She expressed enormous pride in all that had been accomplished during her tenure. This included the quality of the magazine, the popularity of the platforms and nationwide events, and the well-endowed Walrus Trust.

“I care about Canada. I care about great Canadian institutions whether they’re cultural or environmental…. The thread of my entire career is the Canadian conversation.”
—Shelley Ambrose

Engaged Citizen

From 2007 to 2013, Shelley Ambrose served as a national board member of the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). She also served on the NCC’s Landmark Campaign. It raised funds to purchase and maintain more property.

Ambrose serves on the non-profit American Agora Foundation, which oversees the arts magazine Lapham’s Quarterly. It promotes an appreciation for the value of studying history. Ambrose also serves on the National Council of the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough and on the board of the HopeTowns Initiative in Port Hope. It works to restore and attract visitors to heritage main streets and surrounding agricultural watersheds through programs that involve hospitality, art, agriculture and architecture.

Honours

Shelley Ambrose’s work has been recognized with the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2013, she won the Headliner Award for excellence from Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University). She was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2022 for having “created space for broad dialogue and encouraged people to examine what it means to be Canadian.”