COC welcomes six new and returning members to its Board of Directors

TORONTO (April 25, 2023) – On Saturday, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) welcomed six new and returning board members elected during its Annual Session meeting that took place in Toronto over the weekend. 

Tennis executive Stacey Allaster will serve on the Board of Directors for her first-ever term. Allaster, a companion of the Order of Canada, is currently the United States Tennis Association’s Chief Executive of Professional Tennis and US Open Tournament Director.

Five Directors were re-elected to the Board:

• Ian Clarke –  financial executive and director
• David de Vlieger – lawyer and sport governance expert
• Lori DeGraw – Executive Director, Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum
• Peter Dinsdale – Chief Executive Officer of YMCA Canada
• Karen Rubin – corporate executive and director

The COC Board of Directors, led by four-time Olympian and President of the COC Tricia Smith, now sits at 16. 

“I’m very excited to be joining the board of the COC,” said Stacey Allaster. “I want to thank the membership for recognizing my commitment to sport and the Olympic Movement. During my term on the board, I hope to further the COC’s mission and vision and support its membership through the inevitable ups and downs that sport brings. Like every industry today, sport is changing quickly, and the COC’s values-based approach to driving change in the Canadian and international sport system is something I’m proud to be joining.”

The Session also honoured departing long-standing board members Senator Martha Deacon, Tony Eames, Gordon Peterson and Wayne Russell for their years of dedication and commitment to Canadian and international sport.

“Collectively, Marty, Tony, Gord and Wayne have overseen tremendous growth during their time on the COC Board of Directors. I’ve seen firsthand how dedicated they all are to furthering the cause of sport in this country. Their contributions to the Canadian sport ecosystem cannot be overstated,” said Smith. “We wish them well on their next chapters, and know they’ll be cheering for Team Canada on the road to Paris 2024 and beyond. 

“I also wish to welcome Stacey and extend my congratulations to our re-elected board members. I know they will carry on the torch lit by the departing members to continue building a safe, inclusive and barrier-free sport system.”

The list of the entire Board of Directors along with their respective biographies can be found here.

Six Class B General Members were also elected by the COC membership for a four-year term. Class B Members are prominent in their respective professions with a strong and active interest in the Olympic Movement.

• Brad Baker – Associate Superintendent of Indigenous Education at the BC Ministry of Education
• Leanna Caron – CEO and Board Chair of Nexilis AG, Vice Chair of Kuros Biosciences AG, and Director of Skate Canada
• Linda Cuthbert – Representative of the Americas Region on the Commonwealth Sport Federation’s international sport committee, Chair of Commonwealth Sport Canada’s Bid and Hosting Committee
• Tim Powers – Chair of Summa Strategies and Managing Director of Abacus Data
• Teresa Resch – Vice President of Basketball Operations, Toronto Raptors 
• Walter Sieber (re-elected) – Sport executive, IOC Olympic Programme Commission member, former COC vice president and former COC Board member 

The COC wishes to thank the departing Class B Members – David Goldstein, Frank Meunier, Maria Izquierdo, Patrice Brunet and Olympic medallist Steve Podborski – for their support and dedication to the Olympic Movement.

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Peter Saltsman
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E: psaltsman@olympic.ca

Thomas Hall
Director, Communications and Public Relations
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E: thall@olympic.ca