www.sharongraham.ca

Dear Colleagues,

I am honoured to be selected by the Canadian Career Development Foundation and their Board of Governors as a recipient of the prestigious Stu Conger Award for Leadership in Career Counselling and Career Development. This award is one of the most esteemed distinctions, recognizing individuals who display outstanding vision and leadership in promoting and advancing career development and career and employment counselling in Canada.

Throughout the nomination and evaluation process, I have been pleasantly surprised and sometimes overwhelmed by the encouragement and endorsement from the Canadian careers community. I want to sincerely thank every one of these individuals who were involved in supporting my nomination.

I am truly grateful for the wholehearted participation of the team that endorsed, facilitated, and supported my nomination this year. I cannot even express how much your support means to me. The time and energy each of you took in developing the extensive portfolio for submission is a lasting testament to your thoughtfulness:

• Wayne Pagani (team leader)
• Melanie Schlotter
• Maureen McCann
• Tanya Taylor
• Lynda Margaret
• Linda Schnabel
• Daisy Wright
• Janet Barclay

Thank you to each of these individuals who also took time out of their own busy schedules to write a personal letter/e-mail of support on behalf of my nomination:

• Anthony Kaul
• Aubrey Carrega
• Carol Henry
• Carole Marinier
• Elizabeth Grin
• Heather Erskine
• Karen Shane
• Karen Siwak
• Kevin Makra
• Marian Bernard
• Marilyn Curtis
• Nancy Ewen
• Pam Martin
• Paul Copcutt
• Paul Oliveira
• Stephanie Clark
• Susan Kelly-Easton
• Suzana Belan
• Tara Alexander
• Theresa Dowsett
• Wallace Immen

This prestigious title honours my contributions to the Canadian career community. Over the years, many of my peers at Career Professionals of Canada have contributed to my own personal and professional growth in career counselling and career development. I feel that I should accept this award on behalf of all of them.

As a champion for independent practitioners who seek resources and support, I am now challenged to further my efforts in creating visibility for this somewhat “hidden market” within our own industry. Further, I am excited to continue my work in developing practical and tangible resources for all job seekers across Canada. I have now set my sights on raising my efforts to represent our community according to the high standards of leadership that this award represents.

Receiving this award is truly an honour. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for your outpouring of support.

With great gratitude,

Sharon