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 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.
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
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
Thierno Diouf is the Co-ordinator, Stakeholder Outreach, Marketing and Communications with CERIC. His responsibilities include developing and implementing the promotion of CERIC resources and programs. Prior to joining CERIC, Thierno worked as a bilingual communications consultant internationally at the Embassy of Senegal in Italy and for the United Nations in Germany. He holds a BA in communications and international development from the Université du Québec en Outaouais.
Contact Thierno about:
- French-language inquiries
- Media requests
- Promotional opportunities
- CERIC programs and publications
Farzaneh Babazadeh Bedoustani is the Specialist, Programs, Learning and Development (Bilingual) at CERIC. Her responsibilities include the planning and execution of webinars and supporting outreach to francophone stakeholders. 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:
- Presenting webinars
- Training you need or training you offer
- French-language inquiries relating to all CERIC programs
Cyrielle Filias is the Specialist, 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
As the Manager, Events, Learning and Development at CERIC, Sandra Francescon brings over 10 years of experience in conference and event planning. Sandra has managed conferences and events of all sizes from small networking events, to large complex conferences of 25,000 – 30,000 people.
Sandra holds a post-graduate certificate in Corporate Communications from Seneca College, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and English from the University of Toronto.
Contact Sandra 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
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
Lindsay Purchase oversees CERIC’s tri-annual magazine, Careering, and the CareerWise website, along with the CareerWise Weekly newsletter. She has a background in journalism, having worked previously as a digital editor and reporter. 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
- Contribute a blog to the CareerWise website
- Questions regarding the CareerWise Weekly 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