CACEE Fast Facts

The Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers (CACEE) is a national non-profit partnership of employer recruiters and career services professionals. Our mission is to provide professional networking and development opportunities, information, advice, and other services to employers and career service professionals.

Our Vision, Mission, and Values

Vision:

To be Canada's leading authority on the post-secondary school to career transition.

Mission Statement:

To advance and support on-campus recruitment and career education by providing: leadership, information, resources and a professional network for:

• Career Educators - to prepare post-secondary students for a successful transition into their careers;
• Employers - to attract, recruit and retain the right talent on-campus;

Value Proposition:

CACEE is Canada's national network connecting career educators and employers. Through the sharing of collective knowledge and experience, CACEE members are empowered to succeed in meeting their respective workforce and career development objectives.

Values:

CACEE members have identified the following values as the core principles within which CACEE operates:

• Bilingualism
• Equality
• Integrity

• Leadership
• Professional Development
• Volunteerism

Goals:

1. To advance Canadian post-secondary recruitment through appropriate and meaningful collaborative partnerships.
2. To provide value added resources and services.
3. To represent college and university career centres and employers that recruit on-campus.
4. To ensure the availability of accurate and up-to-date resources and research, including benchmarks.
5. To provide meaningful professional development opportunities in a variety of formats and venues.
6. To engage in open communication and dialogue.
7. To secure the future of the organization through prudent and effective management

CACEE National Board of Directors

• President:

  Jennifer McCleary, MBA
  Director, Centre for Business Career Development
  DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University

• President-Elect:

  Nancy Moulday
  Manager Recruitment
  TD Business Banking

• Past-President:

  Rodney Larmand
  President
  College Pro Painters

• Treasurer:

  Stephen Novalski
  

  KPMG

• Secretary:

  Kerri Zanatta-Buehler
  Employment Development Specialist, The Career Centre
  Sheridan Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning

• Director Affiliate:

  Dan Relihan
  Manager Recruitment and Employment Initiatives
  Certified General Accountants Association of British Columbia

• Director Educator:

  Patricia Poirier
  Employment Development Coordinator
  Memorial University

• Coordinator, Career Education Department

  Shawn Read
  Thompson Rivers University

• Career Advisor, Career Planning Service

  Catherine Stace
  McGill University

• Director Employer:

  Cara Boese
  Manager, Recruitment
  Brock University

• Director, Global Campus Recruiting

  Lisa Kramer
  Royal Bank of Canada

Key Personnel - Bios

Executive Director:

Paul D. Smith has served as CACEE Executive Director since 2010. Prior to this, he worked at Queen’s University, Memorial University, and the College of the North Atlantic. He has contributed to the development of the higher education careers field through research, innovative programming and the development of best practices.

President:

Jennifer McCleary is the Director of the Centre for Business Career Development at the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University.  She joined DeGroote in 2005 with an MBA from Ivey and 16 years of private and public sector experience.  Jennifer’s work experience across a broad range of industries has supported an enhanced student experience and stronger strategic partnerships with the business community.

Passionate about talent management, professional development and continuous process improvement, Jennifer is widely respected for her ability to manage and implement change, optimize human capital, build new programs and enhance existing services.

History:

CACEE originated in the aftermath of World War II when campus career advisors were appointed to assist substantial numbers of student veterans in their return to universities and colleges. Their role was to assist student veterans in the transition from soldier to student and maintain an effective relationship between the Department of Veteran Affairs and academic institutions. 

In 1946, CACEE was born. It was then known as University Advisory Services. The first meeting of University Advisory Services took place in Vancouver. Its membership consisted of 39 career service counsellors. This meeting was CACEE's first National Conference.

 

From 1952 to 1965, CACEE became known as the University Counselling and Placement Association (UCPA). CACEE's new name reflected the professional focus of its members: counselling and placement.

 

Throughout the 1970's, even greater numbers of academic institutions and employers became involved with CACEE. 

 

In the late 1980's and early 90's CACEE assisted many career centres in their transition from Canadian Employment Centres to institutional career centres. At the same time, CACEE also became an essential communication and networking tool for employers and career educators.

 

In 1995, CACEE earned its modern name. It became officially known as CACEE: the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers - a name which fully recognizes CACEE's position as an association that fosters the essential networking partnership between Canadian educational institutions and employers. Between 1993 and 2000, CACEE's membership grew substantially with members representing almost every Canadian university, many colleges, and employers across Canada.

 

CACEE continues to be a growing association. It consistently provides its members with valuable networking opportunities, professional development and education to employers and career service professionals across Canada.