CEWIL Canada Announces 2026 Member Impact Award Recipients

Ottawa, ON, May 21, 2026 – CEWIL Canada is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 CEWIL Canada Member Impact Awards, recognizing outstanding contributions to work-integrated learning (WIL) across Canada. This year’s recipients have demonstrated leadership, innovation, and commitment to advancing meaningful, inclusive, and high-impact experiences for students and communities.
The 2026 award recipients reflect the breadth of talent and dedication within the CEWIL Canada community, from research and program development to national volunteer leadership and equity-focused systems change.

Albert S. Barber Award

Christine Ovcaric, Program Manager, Sandbox, University of Toronto, Faculty of Arts & Science, Ontario Christine Ovcaric is one of the founding members of the Office of Experiential Learning & Outreach Support (ELOS) at the University of Toronto and a driving force behind the development of The Sandbox, a multidisciplinary experiential learning model created in partnership with the University of New South Wales. Originally launched as a pilot project, The Sandbox is now a permanent part of ELOS programming, and Christine continues to lead its interdivisional and international expansion. Her earlier experience in academic advising, community partnership programming, and WIL at George Brown College has further shaped her student-centred and collaborative approach to experiential learning. Christine said she is “deeply honoured” to receive this award and is committed to expanding project offerings, forging new partnerships, and furthering pedagogical innovation in the field.

The Capilano University Tourism WIL Team The Capilano University School of Tourism Management Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Team — Christy Dodds, Tania Loken, and Mohna Baichoo — has played a key role in advancing WIL through the development of the CapU WIL Hub beginning in 2019. Together, they have strengthened faculty capacity and supported the institutional sustainability of WIL through collaborative scholarship and a university-wide approach to experiential learning. Their work reflects the value of shared leadership in building systems that can grow and endure. “The Capilano University School of Tourism Management Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Team — Christy Dodds, Tania Loken, and Mohna Baichoo — is deeply honoured to receive this year’s Albert S. Barber (Group) Award. This recognition is both humbling and meaningful, reflecting eight years of collaboration and shared commitment. It affirms the value of teamwork and the importance of creating meaningful experiential learning opportunities for our students. We are especially proud of the strong relationships and innovative pathways we have developed, and we remain committed to advancing WIL and supporting student success.” 

Dr. Graham Branton Research Award

Dr. Roger Pizarro Milian, University of Toronto / University of Guelph, Ontario Dr. Roger Pizarro Milian is a leading researcher at the intersection of work-integrated learning, labour market outcomes, and equity in Canada. As Assistant Director of Student Data and Advanced Analytics at the University of Toronto and adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Guelph, he brings quantitative sociology to some of the sector’s most important questions: who benefits from WIL, who is left out, and what the evidence says about outcomes. His research has helped shape national conversations through major publications, synthesis work, and policy-relevant analysis. Roger said he is honoured to have his research recognized by CEWIL Canada and hopes his work will continue to support practitioners and policymakers in improving WIL systems.

CEWIL Canada Volunteer Impact Award

Mohna Baichoo, Instructor, Capilano University, British Columbia Mohna Baichoo is an educator and practitioner-scholar with eighteen years of experience in higher education, experiential learning, and global workforce development. As co-developer and Faculty Lead of Capilano University’s WIL Co-Lab, she helped build a cross-institutional infrastructure that standardized experiential learning modules, strengthened governance, and expanded credit-bearing WIL across five faculties. Her work has improved access for students across disciplines and advanced a more equitable and sustainable WIL ecosystem. Mohna said the recognition reflects a shared commitment to an equitable, evidence-informed, and high-quality WIL ecosystem across Canada.

Co-chairs, EDIA Council at CEWIL Canada Colleen Phillips-Davis, Anamika Baijnath, and Lucia Plescia have have made significant contributions as volunteer leaders in CEWIL Canada’s recent history. As co-chairs of the EDIA Council from 2024 to 2026, they helped build national equity infrastructure from the ground up, shaping governance documents, community programming, conference sessions, advocacy contributions, and institutional relationships. Their collective leadership strengthened how CEWIL Canada understands and practices equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.

Colleen Phillips-Davis, Employer Experience Manager at the University of Waterloo, has been a long-standing community builder whose CEWIL Canada leadership has included co-chairing the EDIA Council, co-chairing the Student of the Year Awards Committee, and contributing to conference programming and board-level work. She said those experiences have been deeply meaningful and have shown her the passion and collective effort across the community to advance co-op and WIL in Canada.

Anamika Baijnath, Director of Experiential Learning, Quality Assurance and Strategic Initiatives at Toronto Metropolitan University, brought policy depth and governance precision to the Council. Her contributions included co-chairing the Government and External Relations Committee and drafting the EDIA Council Terms of Reference, helping create a strong organizational foundation for the work to continue beyond her tenure. She expressed gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to CEWIL Canada’s growth and future direction alongside dedicated colleagues.
Lucia Plescia, Coordinator of the Co-op Program at Concordia University, ensured the Council’s work remained grounded in its values. She led the EDIA Council Work Plan, contributed detailed equity considerations to the Accreditation Council framework review, and championed Indigenous representation and relationship-building. Together, the three leaders helped CEWIL Canada launch a national Community of Practice, co-facilitate EDIA plenaries at the 2024 and 2025 CEWIL Canada conferences, and guide the EDIA Symposium in March 2026. Lucia said she is deeply grateful for the recognition and proud of the collective learning and difficult conversations that helped move the work forward.

CEWIL Canada congratulates all 2026 Member Impact Award recipients and thanks them for their extraordinary contributions to advancing work-integrated learning in Canada. Their leadership continues to strengthen the connections between students, educators, employers, and communities, ensuring WIL remains inclusive, future-ready, and transformative.
About the CEWIL Canada Member Impact Awards
The CEWIL Canada Member Impact Awards recognize members whose work has made a meaningful difference in advancing work-integrated learning across Canada. The awards celebrate leadership, innovation, collaboration, research, and volunteer service that strengthen opportunities for students and support more equitable, inclusive, and impactful WIL practices. They honour both individuals and teams whose contributions help build a stronger national WIL community.
About CEWIL Canada
CEWIL Canada is a national association with more than 190 member organizations and around 1,900 individual members, including post-secondary institutions, industry and community partners, and WIL-related organizations. Its areas of expertise include advocacy, data collection, accreditation and certification programs, WIL thought leadership and resource development, the iHUB Centre of WIL Expertise, scholarly research, and learning and development opportunities.
For further information, please contact our media contact: 
Lamia Rochdi Bilingual Marketing & Communication Coordinator  [email protected] 778.513.1429