CERIC announces funding recipients with focus on youth employment
January 22, 2026
CERIC is pleased to announce that Sareena Hopkins is the recipient of the 2026 Etta St. John Wileman Award for Outstanding Achievement in Career Development.
The award was presented on January 26, 2026, at Cannexus, Canada’s Career Development Conference, in Ottawa. Hopkins is recognized for more than three decades of exceptional leadership, influence and service that have shaped career development policy, research, professional practice and systems in Canada and internationally.
In presenting the award, Andre Raymond, Chair of the CERIC Award Selection Committee, said, “Sareena, your leadership has shaped a profession, strengthened communities and improved lives – often in ways people may never fully see, but will always benefit from.”
The Etta St. John Wileman Award honours individuals whose contributions have strengthened the career development sector and advanced its role in supporting individuals, communities and the public good. Named after early 20th-century pioneer Etta St. John Wileman, the award reflects her belief that career development is fundamentally connected to dignity, purpose and well-being.
Hopkins’ career reflects a rare integration of vision, evidence and action. Before formally entering the career development field, she spent more than a decade working in mental health, leading innovative initiatives that linked housing, mental health and social supports and helped establish some of Canada’s earliest integrated, wrap-around service models. This work formed her enduring understanding of the connections between meaningful work, mental health and social inclusion.
Since joining the Canadian Career Development Foundation (CCDF) in 1993, and now serving as its Co-CEO, Hopkins has played a defining role in Canada’s career development ecosystem. She has led provincial, national and international initiatives that strengthened professional standards, advanced evidence-based practice and elevated the field’s credibility with governments, employers and the public.
A founding force behind the Canadian Council for Career Development, Hopkins helped bring together voices from across the country to create a shared, pan-Canadian vision for the profession. Building on Canada’s early Standards and Guidelines for Career Development Practitioners, she helped steer the development of the National Competency Framework, the National Competency Profile and the National Code of Ethics, laying the foundation for national certification and professional recognition. She also played a key role in the creation of the Career Development Professional Centre, a national hub supporting professional standards, practitioner networks and access to high-quality training and resources.
Hopkins’ influence extends well beyond Canada. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy, has represented Canada at every International Symposium on Career Development and Public Policy, and has contributed to global tools and frameworks that strengthen career development systems worldwide.
Her leadership has been recognized through numerous honours, including the International Gold Medal for Leadership in Career Development, honorary lifetime memberships from multiple provincial associations and awards recognizing her contributions to both mental health and career development. She is also a sought-after keynote speaker, published author and trusted advisor to national and international bodies.
Across nomination letters, one theme emerged consistently: Hopkins’ impact on people. She is widely described as a mentor, connector and collaborator who listens deeply, brings people together across differences and creates the conditions for others to do their best work. Her commitment to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion is evident throughout her leadership, including advancing Indigenous leadership and ensuring diverse voices shape national policy and systems.
In accepting the award, Hopkins thanked CERIC, those who led and supported her nomination, colleagues at CCDF, across Canada and around the world, as well as “every CDP who shows up each day and changes lives through their work.”
She also reflected on the legacy of the award’s namesake, saying, “Etta St. John Wileman believed in the sanctity of human dignity, the importance of work to the human soul, the need to promote and protect decent work for all, and the imperative for human-centred career services delivered by expert professionals. These are principles that underpin our profession, and they are principles worth defending.”
Established in 2007, the Etta St. John Wileman Award has previously been awarded to Marilyn Van Norman, Denis Pelletier, Norman Amundson, Mildred Cahill, Bryan Hiebert, Donald Lawson, Michel Turcotte, Roberta Borgen (Neault), Lynne Bezanson, Trina Maher, Gillian Johnston and Rob Shea.
More information about the award and nomination details are available on CERIC’s awards page. The next Call for Nominations will open in spring 2026.