BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jennifer Fenton
Jennifer Fenton earned a Bachelor's degree in Leisure Studies from the University of Victoria, and a Master's Degree in Leisure and Sport Management from the University of British Columbia. Her Master’s examined the relationship between the experiences of girls within the schools’ physical education program and the school culture. Jennifer has served as Chair for the Orienteering Association of British Columbia and ProMOTION Plus, the BC Organization for Girls and Women in Physical Activity and Sport, and is currently a member of the Active North Shore Committee. She was instrumental in developing CAAWS' national On the Move initiative, and continues to deliver workshops on increasing the participation of inactive girls and women in physical activity and sport. Jennifer has infused a love of active living into her two children, and is involved in coaching her daughter in cross-country skiing and field hockey. Jennifer is involved in the development and management of the Premier's Sport Awards Program (p.s.a.p.) and a new 2010 Legacies’ Now initiative Action Schools! BC.

Janice Forsyth
Past-chair of the CAAWS board, Janice Forsyth is an Assistant Professor and Director of the International Centre for Olympic Studies at the University of Western Ontario. In addition to her involvement with CAAWS, she maintains strong working relationships with the government and the non-profit sector in sport, where she contributes her knowledge, experience and time with the intent of creating more, and more equitable opportunities for Aboriginal people and girls and women in sport. Recently, she has been involved in the development of national policies for sport, leadership roles at the North American Indigenous Games, program development and evaluation, and research that serves priority areas identified by Sport Canada, the Aboriginal Sport Circle, CAAWS, and the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG). A former varsity athlete, Janice twice earned All-Canadian status in cross-country running. Proud of her Cree heritage (she is a member of the Fisher River Cree First Nation, Manitoba), she has competed at the 1995 and 2002 NAIG for Team Ontario, and served as Assistant Chef de Mission for Team Manitoba at the 2008 NAIG in Cowichan, British Columbia.

Larena Hoeber
As a change agent for gender equity in educational and research settings, Dr. Larena Hoeber is actively involved in promoting gender equity in sport and physical activity. As an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Health Studies at the University of Regina, Dr. Hoeber teaches students about the current state of men’s and women’s involvement in sport, the relationship between men and women in sport, and the impact of gender ideology on participation and involvement in sport. She has also supervised graduate student research examining the gender ideology associated with women coaching male athletes, girls’ understanding of physical activity and femininity, and work-life balance in the health care sector. As a researcher, she has focused on university athletics and Aboriginal volunteers, examining how key stakeholders understand gender equity and put it into practice. Dr. Hoeber has also lent her experience to various Boards and Committees at all levels, and currently serves on the Saskatchewan Parks & Recreation Association Research Committee, the North American Society of Sport Management Conference Task Force, the University of Regina Research Ethics Board, the Advisory Committee on the President’s Fund & SSHRC General Research Grant Fund, and the Flatlanders Roadrace Organizing Committee. Dr. Hoeber has published numerous articles and works on the above areas, and has made several presentations and lectures on gender issues.As a member of the CAAWS Board of Directors, Dr. Hoeber is looking forward to having the opportunity to further act as a change agent in a policy-advocacy setting at the national level - developing and endorsing policies and programs that promote gender equity in sport and physical activity, while also recognizing and celebrating the achievements of girls and women.

Moira Lassen
Moira Lassen from Whitehorse, YT brings a wealth of experience from her work with Sport Yukon and her National and International background with the sport of weightlifting to the CAAWS board. As the Secretary General of the Canadian Weightlifting Federation, she participated in the successful bid presentation to the International Weightlifting Federation that won the right for the Yukon to host the 2008 Junior World Weightlifting Championships. In 2008, Moira attended her first Olympic Games as an International Technical Official (ITO) in the sport of weightlifting. She was the only technical official selected from Canada, and was only one of 7 qualified women of the 35 ITOs in the sport. Moira currently serves on the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Technical Committee. Ms. Lassen is Canada’s sole representative at the IWF, and she looks forward to capably representing the interests of the Canadian Weightlifting Federation, and of Canada, over the coming quadrennial. AthletesCAN welcomes Moira Lassen as Interim Executive Director for 2009 while Jasmine Northcott is away on maternity leave.

Dru Marshall
Over the past three decades Dru Marshall has made significant contributions to sport as a player, a manager, a coach, and as an academic. She holds a doctoral degree in exercise physiology and is currently Deputy Provost at the University of Alberta. Dru was a successful coach, working within the national field hockey program for over 20 years, including being head coach of the national women's field hockey team from 1996 to 2001. Winner of numerous Coach-of-the-Year awards at all levels, she continues to make an outstanding contribution to the development of women’s sport in Canada through teaching and research, mentoring coaches at all levels of the sport continuum, and serving on numerous provincial and national advisory committees. She is a scholar in issues of childhood obesity and children’s fitness and women in coaching. Although now retired as national coach herself, she continues to stay active as a mentor coach, a role which she believes is an enriching experience.

Jasmine Northcott
A graduate of the University of Ottawa, Jasmine Northcott holds a Bachelor degree in Leisure Studies and a Masters degree in Sports Administration & Marketing from the University of British Columbia (UBC). She was a Varsity Rower with the University of Ottawa and continued to compete with the Vancouver Rowing Club while studying at UBC. She is currently the Executive Director of AthletesCAN and works with AthletesCAN key stakeholders, including directly with Canadian National Team athletes, Sport Canada and partners from National and Multi-Sport Organizations.

Marnie Sinclair
Regina, Saskatchewan’s Marnie Sinclair brings years of supervising, establishing and maintaining recreation and Volunteer programming to the CAAWS Board. In her current position as Strategy Manager for Saskatchewan in motion, she daily carries out her passion for increasing physical activity within the province of Saskatchewan especially in the area of women and girls. She also brings extensive experience from her time at the Red Cross Society where she worked with staff, volunteers and communities to reduce injuries and provide programming to enhance the well-being of people age 55 and older. This graduate of the Recreation Technology Diploma Program at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Arts in Saskatoon, has also been an active volunteer in her community. She served on the 2005 Canada Summer Games Canoe Committee ,is a member of the Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Saskatchewan as well as part of the 2010 World Junior Championship Regina Host organizing Committee.

Nicole Smith
Based in Fredericton, NB, Chair Nicole Smith is currently the Executive Director for the Community Non-Profit Organizations Secretariat. Previously, she was the Executive Director of Sport New Brunswick, a position she held for almost 6 years. She has also been Executive Director for two of New Brunswick’s Sports Organizations, Alpine Ski New Brunswick and Velo NB. In addition to her strong background in sports, she has experience in the active living field, serving as a consultant with Sport, Recreation and Active Living in the Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport. She has extensive experience serving on volunteer boards, and is a trained facilitator for the CAAWS Women and Leadership Program. She has also been very active in a wide range of community activities, from the Dragon Boat Festival to school committees. Nicole majored in Recreation Administration at the University of New Brunswick, graduating with a Bachelor in Physical Education and Recreation. She also holds a Masters Degree in Leisure Studies from Pennsylvania State University.

Karin Lofstrom
Karin Lofstrom has been with CAAWS since 1997, originally in the position of Operations Manager and now as the Executive Director. A native of Saskatchewan, Karin has had a life-long involvement with sports. Prior to working with CAAWS, Karin was the National Team Coordinator for Skate Canada, responsible for the coordination of all details for Canadian skaters competing at international events including the Olympics. She has also worked with the men's national team at Basketball Canada, Canadian Interuniversity Sport, and Sport Canada. As a volunteer with Field Hockey Canada, she served as Vice President for the Women’s Field Hockey High Performance Committee and then Chair of the International Excellence Committee and has volunteered at many Canadian Women's National Ice Hockey Team Training Camps and organized many International Women’s Hockey events. She continues to enjoy participating in a variety of activities including golf, snowshoeing, cross country skiing and working out.

Guylaine Demers
Guylaine Demers, PhD, has been a Professor at the Department of Physical Education of Laval University since September 2001. She is the actual Director of the Undergraduate Competency-based coach education program, namely the Baccalaureate in Sport Intervention. Dr. Demers takes particular interest in issues of women in sport, coach education and competency-based training. She currently sits on the Coaching Association of Canada’s (CAC) Coaching Research Committee and on the Editorial Board of the Canadian Journal for Women in Coaching. This academic is currently leading an extensive research project into the early years of female coaches’ experience in coaching with the CAC We Are Coaches program. She was actively involved in the development and implementation of the new competency-based National Coaching Certification Program in Canada. Dr. Guylaine Demers is actively involved in promoting gender equity and coach education in sport within her home province of Québec. She currently serves as Chair of Égale-Action, Quebec’s Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport and Physical Activity. She is also a member of the Quebec Council of Sport Leaders, who serves as the Orientation Committee on coaches’ development in Quebec. She was a coach for nearly 15 years and was also the technical director of the Quebec Basketball Federation. Her work and achievements have been recognized both provincially and nationally. Dr. Demers was named recipient of the 2009 YWCA’s Women in Sport Award for her accomplishments in Québec for the advancement of women in leadership position. In 2007, she was named one of CAAWS’ Most Influential Women in Sport and Physical Activity in Canada. Dr. Demers’ latest challenge is with the Qatar Women’s Sport Committee, where she is helping them develop a sport system for girls and women.