Riz Ibrahim is the Executive Director of CERIC. Riz works with CERIC’s cross-sectoral Board and Advisory Committees to develop strategic and functional partnerships that enhance the body of knowledge for Canada’s career professional communities. Additionally, Riz oversees all areas within CERIC’s mandate including the Cannexus National Career Development Conference, the ContactPoint and OrientAction online community collaboration portals, 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.
Contact Riz about:
- Project partnership ideas, application and process questions
- Interest in strategic partnerships
- 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
Marilyn Van Norman is National Co-ordinator Outreach & Innovation at CERIC. She has over 30 years of proven expertise in career centre and student services management. She is the author of numerous articles and publications on career development. Her book Making It Work: Career Management for the New Workplace was a Canadian best seller. Marilyn has been the recipient of a number of awards including the Award of Merit, Outstanding Contribution, Life Membership CACEE; Contribution to Career Counselling, Ontario College Counsellors; the Etta St John Wileman Award for contributions to Career Development in Canada; The Joan Foley Award for Significant Contributions to Enhancing Student Life, University of Toronto. Marilyn chaired the National Consultation on Career Development, NATCON for 15 years.
Contact Marilyn about:
Sharon Ferriss is the Director, Marketing, Web & New Media with CERIC, where she provides leadership in the development of all communications strategies for CERIC’s network of projects and programs. She has more than 15 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
- CERIC sponsorship and advertising
- Books, merchandise and other sales
- Having CERIC present to your organization or 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
Poornima Rajasekar is the PR & Marketing Associate with CERIC. Her responsibilities include developing and maintaining public relations, supporting brand communications, assisting in the execution of marketing plans and creating outreach strategies. Previously, Poornima has worked in corporate communications for Bosch in India, and interned with Ogilvy & Mather, Child Rights and You (NGO) and the Town of Fort Erie. She holds a BA in Journalism, an MBA in Brand Communications and a post-graduate diploma in Public Relations from Niagara College.
Contact Poornima about:
- Media inquiries
- Promotional opportunities
- CERIC programs & projects
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 & 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
Ye Liu is the Marketing & Web Specialist at CERIC. As part of the Marketing, Web & New Media team, her responsibilities include researching organizations, publications and events for outreach, assisting in updating contact databases, and maintaining currency of websites. Ye earned her BA(Hon.) in Psychology from Brescia University College, and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Western University.
Prior to joining CERIC, Ye was a research-driven student, and her areas of interest are health literacy, patient education and user-centered design. During her academic years, she co-authored a peer-reviewed article focusing on online mental health information-seeking behaviours of university students, and it was published in the high-impact journal Library & Information Science Research.
Contact Ye about:
- Subscribing to CERIC publications
- Webinar registration inquiries
- CERIC websites and social media
As CERIC’s Event and Conference Manager, Danielle brings over 15 years of experience designing, branding, marketing, producing and executing complex, high-profile, multi-platform B2B events throughout North America and across all sectors (Corporate, Government, Not For Profit & NGOs).
Danielle holds a post-graduate diploma in Communications and Public Relations, and received her professional designation as a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) in 2013, through the Convention Industry Council. She is currently working to complete her CMM Designation in 2017.
Contact Danielle about:
- Any aspect of the Cannexus conference
- Conference and other sponsorships
- Summer Skills Academy
- Program content related to our conference and other learning opportunities
- Speaking or exhibiting at a CERIC event
Lindsay Purchase oversees CERIC’s tri-annual magazine, Careering, and the ContactPoint website, along with the weekly CareerWise newsletter. She has a background in journalism, having worked previously as a digital editor and reporter. She is also a committed volunteer, with particular interests in immigration and food security. Lindsay is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University’s Global Studies program, where she also earned minors in French and Political Science.
Contact Lindsay about:
- Writing for an article for Careering magazine or guest blog
- Posting jobs, events or resource listings on ContactPoint
- Questions regarding the CareerWise newsletter
Jonathan Hutchinson is responsible for the day-to-day and ongoing IT and A/V needs for CERIC and the shared workspace it operates out of, Foundation House. He has a background in photography, non-profits and the arts.
Jonathan graduated from Ryerson University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography Studies.
Contact Jonathan about:
- Issues with the CERIC, Counselling Foundation, or Foundation House websites
- Questions regarding Foundation House
- Other CERIC-related technical questions