December 2023 Volunteer of the Month
Rod Piukkala
Member of Merit, Independent Consultant
My role at PBSA:
I have been an active member of the PBSA Government Relations committee since 2009 when our industry needed to successfully and quickly respond to a hastily placed federal (RCMP) moratorium on all third party screening by all providers. Utilizing my experience as a former Chief of Police, I remain significantly involved in advocating or providing insight to the provincial/federal governments and others on topics associated to several areas of background screening, Often specifically targeting criminal record checks and vulnerable sector verifications. I have prepared or peer reviewed educational documents and slide decks for members of the PBSA with an objective to ensure informed and compliant consistency across our industry. I have been involved in the screening industry for the past almost 15 years in various roles within a number of Canadian and International organizations.
Why I wanted to volunteer with PBSA:
I initially used my law enforcement experience to open doors to further our causes and now provide current subject matter expertise on the topics related to legislative or practice changes in the field of criminal record checks in Canada. I often reach into government contacts to educate and provide our industry committee's collective insight or recommendations.
What I do when not at work.
I am an avid golfer and play in excess of 100 rounds per year either in my home area in Canada or in the southern US climates during the winter months. I also remain involved in leadership positions on Not For Profit community boards as a director. I even consulted on a nationally viewed detective TV show dealing with homicide investigation. I have six grandchildren that can provide an outlet for both free time and discretionary income!
What I'm reading:
Probably because of my background in law enforcement as a senior executive and long-time homicide investigator, I enjoy crime novels, mysteries of both fictional or real life investigations.
Favorite website, podcast, blogs, etc.
My daily online content review consists of a daily consumption of Canadian, American, and International news outlets, political blogs, news clippings, or webcasts related to current geopolitical events, police services, background screening or trending topics in the Human Resource vertical.
On my desk right now (books, personal items, etc.):
In my office I have several books recently read or awaiting to be read, my laptop/printer and a yellow brick awarded after completing the "Yellow Brick Road", a US Marine Corps obstacle course at the FBI Academy in Virginia, where I both trained and presented as a speaker. A place of honor on the desk is a replica C8 Corvette sent to my wife and I from General Motors when we obtained our new vehicle a year ago.
