About Career Professionals of Canada

Sharon Graham (Chair) founded Career Professionals of Canada (CPC) in 2004, setting the cornerstones for quality service, ethical standards, and excellence in the profession. She served as the organization’s executive director until 2023, where she ensured that the mandate of this national not-for-profit association is upheld with integrity.

A key influencer and subject matter expert, Sharon has authored several critically acclaimed publications in the areas of résumé, interview, employment, work-life, and career strategy. Sharon pioneered and established several national professional development programs for practitioners. She architected, developed, and facilitated nationally recognized certificate courses, certification programs, and awards programs.

Felisha Ali is a lifelong learner with 25+ years and a diverse background in education, career development, and leadership & employee training. She is a graduate of Master of Education in Educational Leadership, Advanced Project Management, Adult Education-Staff Training and Development, and Accounting. The skills gained from these disciplines have been instrumental in shaping her career, supporting her success in roles such as a career development practitioner, learning & employee development specialist, part-time professor, and publications & communications officer.

Felisha is an active volunteer with Career Professionals of Canada (CPC), and an awarded ten-time mentor with the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), where she brings a wealth of experience and a passion for helping individuals achieve their career goals.

Ayesha Bhikha is a program management professional with 23+ years of progressive experience in the Canadian and international not-for-profit and corporate sectors. She specializes in program, accreditation, internal audit, and human resources management. Her educational qualifications extend to finance and accounting, project management, human resources management, psychology, including a Master of Education in Educational Leadership.

Ayesha immigrated to Canada in 2008 and is proud to call herself a Sri Lankan-Canadian. Her professional journey in Canada has been exclusive to the not-for-profit sector. As the Director of Career & Women’s Services at Achēv, Ayesha provides strategic leadership and direction to a diverse portfolio of programs designed to support and empower newcomers, women, and other equity-deserving individuals and groups. She is passionate about unequivocally advocating for those without a voice in our society so that they can be seen, heard, accepted, and empowered.

Ayesha is also a long-standing mentor at the International Graduate School of Humber College. She consistently thrives to embody and execute Maya Angelou’s quote, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." To that end, Ayesha views learning as a life-long endeavour and strives to be a leader who uplifts and empowers others, so that they can reach their fullest potential and prosperity in Canada.

Dorothy Keenan has been helping individuals in a broad cross-section of the labour force for the last 25 years. She has managed career development programs in non-profit and academic settings and currently operates FutureWorks a résumé writing and outplacement business. Dorothy has written $1M to $9M proposals and negotiated, and secured multiple, multi-year funding from the federal and provincial governments. She managed all aspects of the contracts and project teams and exceeded placement targets. Customized contracts serviced diverse groups including youth, immigrants, women, individuals on social assistance, and those entering the trades, technology and science.

With a degree in psychology from Trent University, master's level courses in Counselling from UBC, and HR courses from BCIT, Dorothy is committed to helping to shape and develop the future of the career industry in Canada. Through her work, she has assisted over 10,000 individuals seeking employment in diverse industries, including technology, science, gaming, trades, finance, marketing, manufacturing, warehouse, and administration. In doing so, Dorothy has gained a solid understanding of the needs of Canada’s dynamic labour force.

Gabrielle LeClair is a master-certified career strategist with more than 15 years of industry experience. Owner and principal consultant of GDL Consulting, Gabrielle built a successful boutique firm, specializing in the intersection where adult education and career development meet. Bringing a background in Learning and Development, Human Resources, and Business Management she has developed programs that empower learners to excel.

As CPC's past certification chair and standards manager, Gabrielle’s stewarded CPC’s popular professional development programming, as well as strong member and learner standards.  She has been key contributor to programs developed by CPC. An active member of CPC since 2011, she continues to volunteer with numerous teams and committees, contributing to projects and initiatives that facilitate connection, collaboration, and comradery among CPC members, nation-wide.

Erika Mendonca-DeSilva is a multi-certified Award-Winning Career Strategist and lifelong learner with 15+ years assisting individuals find their ideal career path and maximizing their potential. Passionate about helping people, Erika has earned a reputation for her kindness, compassion, integrity and professionalism. She is fueled by an unwavering commitment to make a difference in the lives of the people she works with, the clients she serves and the professional community she supports.  She is an active member of CPC

Erika is an Executive Career Strategist at The Talent Company, leading the Career Solutions Pillar and works with individuals at all levels from entry to C-suite across a wide variety of industries. She has partnered with organizations in a variety of sectors (including human capital, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, transportation, insurance, CPG, financial, retail and healthcare) providing support around corporate restructuring. She has managed on-site Career Centres for major organizations working with senior management to develop strategies on how best to assist individuals facing job loss.  Complimenting her experience, Erika has also run her own independent consulting practice.

Cathy Milton became a member of CPC in 2010 after leaving a long career in the Canadian telecommunications industry. As someone who has always enjoyed writing, her goal was to learn leading-edge résumé writing strategies and start a home-based business. As Cathy pursued that goal, she also did volunteer work for the association, which led to a role as CPC’s Communications Manager.

Since then, Cathy has completed all of CPC's online courses, eventually becoming a Career Development Practitioner (CDP) and Master Certified Résumé, Interview, Career, Employment, and Work-Life Strategist. Today, she supports the national association as a board director, management team executive, and occasional course instructor.

Barb Penney is an award-winning résumé writer, interview coach, and career advisor providing services to executives, senior leaders, and accomplished professionals through her business, Winning Resumes Career Solutions. She leverages 25+ years of human resources leadership experience, leading edge career practices, and an ability to cut through the clutter to help people make exceptional career moves.

Barb found a home with Career Professionals of Canada where she learned first-hand about the incredible benefits of membership. Her experience with CPC has been extensive. She helped CPC transition to a non-profit organization as a Board Director and has also volunteered as an Ambassador, Social Media Team Lead, Certification Team Member, and course development contributor. One of her favourite roles is helping other career professionals as a CPC course instructor.

Barb is located in Edmonton, Alberta, and has volunteered for countless community organizations, clubs, and professional associations throughout her career.

Brad Whitehorn, BA, CCDP, is the associate director at CLSR Inc. He was thrown into the career development field headfirst after completing a communications degree in 2005, and hasn’t looked back! Since then, he has worked on the development, implementation, and certification of various career and personality assessments including Personality Dimensions®. Brad's passion for assessments has not only shaped his career but also fuels his drive to contribute to the growth and development of our community.

As a lifelong learner, Brad is usually enrolled in at least one course at any given time. He has certificates in Employment Services, Social Media Management, and French Language Skills; is a Certified Career Development Practitioner (CCDP), and a Personality Dimensions® Qualified Facilitator. Over the years, Brad has taken courses and lessons in everything from diversity and inclusion, to motorcycle maintenance and guitar skills, and is always on the lookout for the next learning opportunity.