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The career development community in BC, across Canada and around the world has lost one of its most innovative leaders. Over more than three decades, Tannis Goddard worked as a teacher, frontline practitioner, researcher, entrepreneur and sector leader, and she helped shape how career services are designed and delivered. CERIC extends its deepest condolences to her family, friends and colleagues. In this Podium piece, Dr. Roberta Borgen, Goddard’s longtime friend and colleague, reflects on her life, her work and the legacy she leaves behind.
This article was originally published in ASPECT’s Aspectives newsletter and has been republished with permission.
The career development sector in BC, nationally and internationally, lost more than we’ll ever fully understand. For over three decades, Tannis brought a unique combination of competencies to her work, influenced by her early experiences as an English teacher, choral music teacher and frontline career development specialist, and then as a supervisor, manager, researcher and sector leader. As award-winning CEO of Training Innovations, which she founded in 1992, Tannis was recognized and commended as one of BC’s most effective employment service providers, grounding her research-informed innovative design in a deep and enduring client-centred approach, while also understanding the needs of governments, employers and communities. Tannis seamlessly brought theory into practice and was continuously engaged in evaluating results and strategizing how to improve client outcomes. She was a forerunner in providing web-based career development services, piloting Career e-Volutions in 2004, long before COVID-19 brought working virtually into the mainstream. While still leading Training Innovations, Tannis launched MixtMode in 2012, which continues to offer consultation and training related to multimodal career services.
Tannis served in many association and leadership roles, including as vice-president of both the Career Management Association of BC and ENET (which later merged to form the BC Career Development Association). She also served on the Advisory Committee for the BC Centre for Employment Excellence and as a member of the Economic Development Committee with Port Moody City Council. She was a member of the international working group for Transformational Technology for the International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy, led the first e-Career Symposium in Australia, served on Team Canada at the International Symposium on Career Development and Public Policy in Budapest, Hungary, and co-designed and served as discussant for an international symposium on the Integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) within Career Development and Guidance Practice. She presented at conferences throughout Canada, the US, Australia and Europe, as well as New Zealand, South Africa and India.
Since leaving her role as CEO of Training Innovations in 2016, Tannis devoted the remainder of her career to continuing to strengthen the career development and social service sectors’ ecosystems through research, developing resources, consultation, training and speaking around the world. Tannis completed her Master of Arts in Educational Studies at the University of Sheffield in the UK in 2013. She then completed her PhD at the University of Warwick in the UK in 2021, focused on “Online Career Learning: Integrating ICT for Service Transformation.” Tannis’ final project involved working closely with Sareena Hopkins of the Canadian Career Development Foundation, with extensive periods of time living and working in Halifax. Together, they pioneered a visionary dual-client approach to career services – Thriving Workplaces – a lasting legacy that will have far-reaching impact. Tannis excelled as a speaker, author, facilitator, coach and innovative strategist. She thought deeply, consulted widely and was gifted at developing models, frameworks, programs and systems that, grounded in research, were accessible, understandable and easily applied.
Tannis’ reach has been international – we shared a love for travel, experiencing different cultures and witnessing the similarities and differences in career development around the globe. On a personal level, we were mutual mentors, learning from each other and working for and with each other on many projects over the past 20-plus years. I’ve lost a dear friend, confidant and colleague … and would have loved to have many more years of conversations ahead. However, although Tannis’ life was cut far too short, I’m sure we all agree that hers was a life well lived and filled to the brim. Her legacy will live on through all those she engaged with personally; served directly; or influenced through her training, consulting, writing and advocacy. She will be deeply missed … but never forgotten. Our warmest thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends closest to her, especially her precious daughter, Kaia. For those wanting to honour her memory, her family has requested that donations be made to cancer research in lieu of sending flowers.
