Kay Castelle is the Executive Director of CERIC. Kay leads the development and delivery of the strategic goals and objectives for the organization, supporting the CERIC Board, Committees and staff in their efforts. In her role, Kay develops strategic and functional partnerships that enhance the body of knowledge for Canada’s career professional communities. Additionally, she oversees all areas within CERIC’s mandate including Cannexus, Canada’s Career Development Conference, the CareerWise and OrientAction content websites, the peer-reviewed Canadian Journal of Career Development (CJCD), and a host of internal and external projects including national surveys of Canadians’ perceptions about career planning and about career development and the workplace.
Kay was formerly with Food Banks Canada where she was the Director of Learning & Knowledge Exchange. She is also the part-time Executive Director at Hand Up From Hunger Toronto, Executive Board Member at the New Beginnings Support Program and a volunteer Career Mentor at Times Change Women’s Employment Service. She has a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Community Development from the University of Toronto, holds a Certified Training and Development Professional (CTDP) designation from The Institute for Performance and Learning, is a Certified Prosci Change Practitioner, and has completed Certificates in Career Development and Work-Life Coaching with Career Professionals of Canada.
Contact Kay about:
- Project partnership ideas
- Strategic partnerships (sector development initiatives)
- Becoming a supporting organization for the Cannexus conference
- Volunteering with CERIC on one of our Advisory Committees
- Ideas you feel would strengthen our offerings to support Canada’s career development communities
Diana Castano joined The Counselling Foundation of Canada in 2005 on a part-time basis as Administrative Support. She assumed the position of Executive Assistant and Office Administrator in 2010.
She attended Servicio Nacional de Aprendizage (S.E.N.A.) college in her native Colombia where she graduated with a diploma in Business Administration and Bookkeeping. She subsequently worked in these roles in a law office and in her own business for over a decade. Diana arrived in Canada in 2002 and took a related-position at Toronto Community Living (Scarborough). She currently oversees all day-to-day administrative and financial processes at the Foundation while supporting the Executive Director, Board and CERIC.
Contact Diana about:
- Attending a CERIC roadshow
- Cannexus, webinar or other event registrations or payments
- Buying CERIC books or merchandise
Sharon Ferriss is the Senior Director, Marketing and Communications with CERIC, where she provides leadership in the development of all communications strategies for CERIC’s network of projects and programs. She has 20 years of experience as a marketing and communications professional, primarily in non-profit organizations, as well as having worked as a journalist for print and television. Sharon has had senior roles with the Purchasing Management Association of Canada (PMAC) and the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA). She holds a Bachelor of Journalism, an MBA in marketing and non-profit management, and is an Accredited Business Communicator (ABC).
Contact Sharon about:
- Media inquiries
- Marketing partnerships
- Becoming a Knowledge Champion
- Acquiring or disseminating CERIC publications
- Having CERIC present to your organization or exhibit at your event
An experienced web designer, graphic designer and online community manager, Norman Valdez oversees the websites, social media strategy and IT infrastructure for CERIC. He is the co-founder of Vivid Design, a brand identity design firm, and has taught at the University of Toronto and Sheridan College for the Communication Culture and Information Technology (CCIT) program. He is also an avid blogger and is passionate about a range of topics like social media, politics, health, psychology, philosophy and others. Norman holds an HBA in Communications, Culture and Information Technology with a specialization in Digital Enterprise Management and an MA in Information Systems.
Contact Norman about:
- CERIC websites
- Social media
- Online registration questions
- IT-related vendor inquiries
Lindsay Purchase oversees CERIC’s CareerWise website and CareerWise Weekly newsletter and helps guide learning strategy at CERIC. She has a background in journalism, having worked previously as a digital editor and reporter. Lindsay has a post-graduate certificate in Food Security from Toronto Metropolitan University and a BA in Global Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Contact Lindsay about:
- Contributing a blog to the CareerWise website
- Questions regarding the CareerWise Weekly newsletter
- Career development content and learning ideas
Alexandra Manoliu is the Senior Manager, Research Initiatives, at CERIC. Her responsibilities include advancing the national research goals and funding priorities of CERIC. Alexandra brings more than seven years of experience in research and knowledge dissemination in both academic and not-for-profit sectors. She holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Montreal and a master’s in political communication and marketing in Romania.
Contact Alexandra about:
- Applying for project funding
- Partnering on surveys or exploring data
- Master and PhD students joining the Graduate Student Engagement Program
- Use or inclusion in the Canadian Career Development Researcher Database
- Use or inclusion in Literature Searches
- Showcasing your research at the Cannexus conference
Farzaneh Babazadeh Bedoustani is the Manager, Events, Learning and Development at CERIC. Farzaneh brings more than 10 years of experience teaching English in language institutes both in Iran and Canada and three years of experience in leadership development with McGill University and Montreal College students. She holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership from McGill University and a Master’s in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) from Tabriz University in Iran.
Contact Farzaneh about:
- The Cannexus conference
- Summer Skills Academy
- Program content related to our conference and other learning opportunities
- Speaking or exhibiting at a CERIC event
- CERIC sponsorship or advertising opportunities
Cyrielle Filias is the Lead, Programs, Learning and Development (Bilingual) at CERIC. Her responsibilities include the planning and execution of webinars, co-ordinating roadshows and leading outreach to francophone stakeholders. Cyrielle brings more than eight years of experience managing diverse projects in areas of marketing, advertising, startups and innovation both in France and in Canada. She holds a certificate in Digital Marketing Management from the University of Toronto and a master’s degree specializing in marketing and innovation in Lyon, France.
Contact Cyrielle about:
- Presenting webinars
- Hosting CERIC roadshows
- Training you need or training you offer
- French-language inquiries relating to all CERIC programs
Rachel So is the Senior Specialist, Digital, Marketing and Communications at CERIC. She supports the day-to-day digital marketing, social media, web and related communications activities associated with CERIC, including its projects, publications and the Cannexus conference.
Prior to joining CERIC, Rachel was a Program & Events Co-ordinator for a primary healthcare non-profit organization. She holds a BSc with a specialization in environment & health from the University of Toronto.
Contact Rachel about:
- Subscribing to CERIC publications
- Webinar registration inquiries
- CERIC websites and social media
Amelie Almonacil is the Specialist Stakeholder Outreach (Bilingual) at CERIC. Her responsibilities include promoting CERIC resources, surveys and key programs in English and French to stakeholders. She brings over 10 years of experience in marketing and communications in France and Canada, and 10 years mentoring students, young professionals and entrepreneurs. She holds a master’s degree in marketing & innovation from Lyon, France and a life coach accreditation.
Contact Amelie for:
- Content and events related to CERIC programs
- Media requests
- Marketing partnerships
- French-language inquiries
Heba ElHalees is the Conference Planning Co-ordinator at CERIC. She brings 7+ years of experience working in the Events industry in Canada. She also holds a Bachelor’s in Child and Youth studies with emphasis on disability and women’s and gender studies from Carleton University. In her role at CERIC, Heba combines her event planning skillset with her background in education to help advance career development through Cannexus.
Contact Heba about:
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Presenting at Cannexus
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Exhibiting at Cannexus
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General Cannexus inquiries
Eman Ali is the Associate, Digital, Marketing and Communications at CERIC. She is responsible for enhancing social media engagement and optimizing digital content for various career development initiatives.
Before joining the CERIC team, Eman completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Public Policy with minors in English and Urban Studies from the University of Toronto.
Contact Eman about:
- Social media
- CERIC websites
- General inquiries related to CERIC programs
Ola Animashaun is the Content, Learning & Virtual Events Intern at CERIC. She supports the Learning and Development team by coordinating webinar series, managing digital content, and enhancing the online learning experience.