The Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLED)’s Board of Directors are announcing that effective July 1, 2022, Dr. Kara Mitchelmore, our Chief Executive Officer (CEO), is taking a leave of absence.

For the past five years, Dr. Mitchelmore has led CPLED through a process of reinvention and renewal. She launched the new Bar admission program, the Practice Readiness Education Program (PREP), in 2020, welcomed Nova Scotia as a participating province and introduced the Legal Research and Writing (LRW) course in 2022. “Dr. Mitchelmore’s unwavering leadership, vision, and drive have propelled CPLED to reach new heights. Under her leadership, CPLED has grown, incorporating new student support initiatives all while focusing on offering the best Bar admission program in Canada,” says Don Thompson, CPLED Board Chair.

During the interim period, Liza Worthington will be Acting CEO. Liza is an experienced business leader who has been a part of CPLED from the early days. “Her exceptional working knowledge of the organization, its strategic objectives and business plans make her the best choice to step in and keep things running smoothly in my absence,” says Dr. Mitchelmore.

Liza is a specialist in leading and delivering professional education programs. Her prior experience includes overseeing the undergraduate, graduate and continuous professional development programs at the University of Calgary’s Department of Family Medicine and the pre-certification programs at Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) Alberta and Certified Management Accountants (CMA) Alberta. Liza was an instructor at Mount Royal University and CMA Alberta. She is a Fellow of the CPA and CMA and received her MBA from Heriot-Watt University in 2021. Liza is a Board member for the YMCA Calgary.

“I have every confidence in the CPLED staff’s ability to make a smooth transition and support Liza as she assumes the Acting CEO role,” says Don Thompson.

About CPLED

The Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLED) is a non-profit organization that provides the training needed before being called to the Bars of Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan. The CPLED Board of Directors comprises individuals from the four respective provincial law societies.