The only micro-credential for current and aspiring leaders in post-secondary co-op, experiential learning, and career development.

Cathy Keates recently finished over a decade as the Director of Career Services and Experiential Learning at Queen’s University. Three of her projects – the Major Maps, the Queen’s Skills Cards, and It All Adds Up, a career health campaign with 43 career centres across Canada participating – were recognized with CACEE Innovation Awards. A 2017 research study ranked Queen’s Career Services as the second most impressive model of postsecondary career services in Canada and labelled the office’s approach the “Efficiency Model.” Cathy is passionate about making the most of resources, including staff time and talent, to have the broadest reach and impact for students.

Cara Krezek is currently Director, Co-op, Career and Experiential Education at Brock University where she leads a team of experiential and career professionals. Cara is also on the Board of Directors of Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada serving as Past-President. Her team at Brock experienced unprecedented disruption due to the pandemic, and her leadership and ability to manage through chaos has proven effective to keep her team engaged and empowered. Her work is informed by her leadership experience within industry and higher education and she is currently doing her Master of Leadership at the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics. She is passionate about leadership and other people’s passions, which is what drives her work every day.

As Director of the University of Alberta Career Centre and Experiential Learning Blessie Mathew's portfolio also includes the Undergraduate Research Initiative (URI), and Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science, and Technology (WISEST). Each unit connects broadly in their goal to support students, postdoctoral fellows, and alumni in engaging in career development and experiential learning activities that help them build the skills, knowledge, experience, and connections they need to progress in their careers resourcefully, and with hope and resilience.

Kimberley (she/her) is a Career Educator with UBC’s Centre for Student Involvement and Careers and works with students across all faculties and backgrounds. She has been a career practitioner for almost 15 years, and brings her background in Curriculum and Pedagogy, research interests in professional identity development, and love of stand-up comedy to her practice. Kimberley is Canada’s first Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach.

In 2008 Robert joined the amazing Management Career Services (MCS) team with Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Management. The MCS Team supports business students in both mandatory and optional work integrated learning programs and provides career services accessible to more than 2000 business students.

He has coached students as a Career and Recruitment Specialist focusing on International Business, supported the team as Acting Director and oversaw operational improvements as the first Operations Manager for the unit. Since 2017 he has been proud to lead Team MCS as Director and he can be found on LinkedIn frequently and often his posts feature the hashtags #DalProud and #HireDal.

His professional development has included courses in career coaching and the Management Leadership Institute delivered by NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers). He has presented multiple times both regionally and nationally for CEWIL (Co-operative Education and Work Integrated Learning), formerly known as CAFCE and has delivered content for the Campus Recruiters Forum and presented at the Future Workforce Conference in 2019, 2020 and 2021. In 2022, he participated in the Opening Plenary of the Canadian Association Career Educators and Employers (CACEE) National Conference.

Robert holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a graduate degree in Leadership. Prior to being a career services practitioner, Robert was an employer partner, hiring co-op students and new grads into a busy regional marketing department of a travel agency.

Those interested in connecting with him for the recruitment of talented Dalhousie Rowe School of Business students or sharing best practices in co-op, WIL or career services should contact him via LinkedIn or drop him a note at robert.wooden@dal.ca

Ben Yang has been serving as the Director, Global Engagement at Wilfrid Laurier University since 2014. In his current role, he supports and implements Laurier's internationalization strategy including international student support, international partnerships and mobility and internationalization at home initiatives. From 2011 to 2014, he served as the Executive Director of the International Recruitment and Partnerships at Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario. Prior to his leadership role in international education, Ben worked as a career counsellor at the University of Toronto for six years and served one year as the Acting Associate Director at the U of T Career Centre. His experiences in both career and international education allow him to incorporate an intercultural perspective to assess career development issues and view international education from an experiential learning and career development lens. He is a frequent presenter on cross-cultural communication and career development issues. Ben received the 2010 Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBIE) Internationalization Leadership Award.