Speakers
Brenda Hart Speaker image
Brenda Hart Speaker image
Brenda Hart
Recruitment and Development Committee Chair
Carol Roberts Speaker image
Carol Roberts Speaker image
Carol Roberts
Mediator & Arbitrator with the Sports Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada
An alternative dispute resolution practitioner for over 30 years, Carol Roberts is a mediator and arbitrator with the Sports Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and a member of the International Panel of Arbitrators with U.K. Sport Resolutions. Carol was a member of the CAS ad hoc court at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang. Carol is a panel member with the Vancouver International Arbitration Centre and the British Virgin Islands International Arbitration Centre as well as a member of the Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators of ICC Canada. Carol is also a member of the Ethics Committee of the International Floorball Federation and the Judicial Board of World Sailing. Carol was a former figure skater and a judge for over 25 years.
Cheryl Pounder Speaker image
Cheryl Pounder Speaker image
Cheryl Pounder
2x Olympic Gold Medallist, broadcaster
Darlene Joseph Speaker image
Darlene Joseph Speaker image
Darlene Joseph
Director of Skating, Gloucester Skating Club
Darlene Joseph is a NCCP Level 5 National and International level coach and has been coaching for 35 years. She has also been the Director of Skating at the Gloucester Skating Club for 25 years. Darlene was the Director Ontario on the Skate Canada Board of Directors for 6 years and is currently the Chair of the Skate Canada High Performance Committee. Darlene was the Chair of the Governance Committee, and a member of the Membership Committee, the Section Coordinating Committee and the Technical Coordinating Committee. Darlene was recently awarded the 2021 Andy Higgins Lifetime Achievement Ontario Coaching Excellence Award, the 2021 Ottawa Sport Female Coach of the Year Award and the 2020 Billie Mitchell Award by the Skate Canada Board of Directors. Darlene says that being a professional coach provides her the opportunity to share her expertise, experience, knowledge and passion with skaters of all ages and abilities.
Debra Armstrong Speaker image
Debra Armstrong Speaker image
Debra Armstrong
CEO, Skate Canada
Duff Gibson Speaker image
Duff Gibson Speaker image
Duff Gibson
Founder, Dark Horse Athletic
Duff Gibson was involved with high performance sport for over 25 years beginning in 1989 when Duff moved to Calgary to get his Master’s degree in Kinesiology.  As an athlete, Duff was both a 2004 World Champion and 2006 Olympic Champion in the sport of skeleton and was named Canada’s 2006 male athlete of the year.  As a coach, Duff led eight different athletes to a top four finish or higher at a World Cup or World Championship level and considers the work he did inspiring discipline and collaboration within the team as being the key to their success.  After the Sochi Olympics, Duff became involved with youth sport launching Dark Horse Athletic in early 2016.  Dark Horse is about developing athleticism with a multi-sport approach and inspiring kids to participate for the love of sport.  Duff lives with his wife Jen and sons Geddy and Taye in Calgary and is a Captain with the Calgary Fire Department.
Jason Robinson Speaker image
Jason Robinson Speaker image
Jason Robinson
Certified parliamentarian specializing in risk management, meeting procedures and strategic engagement, Sport Law
Jason Robinson, BHK, CP, joined Sport Law in 2015, after eighteen years working in professional and amateur sport. He specializes in risk management and meeting procedures, as well as offering strategic services in planning, governance and member engagement. His risk management portfolio includes organizational workshops, risk assessments and audits, and comprehensive policy suite development. Jason is a strong believer in integrating risk management into decision-making at all levels.
Jeff Partrick Speaker image
Jeff Partrick Speaker image
Jeff Partrick
Corporate Services Director, Skate Canada
Karen Butcher Speaker image
Karen Butcher Speaker image
Karen Butcher
President, Skate Canada
Keegan Murphy Speaker image
Keegan Murphy Speaker image
Keegan Murphy
Director of Skating Programs, Connaught Skating Club
Drawing on his experience as a former national medalist and novice and junior international competitor as well as a Technical Specialist, Keegan has produced a stable of provincial and national champions so far in his 15 years of coaching. While developing his athletes from the grassroots, Keegan has guided his skaters to the ISU international level including the Junior Grand Prix Circuit, ISU Junior World Championships, ISU Senior International Challengers and ISU Four Continents Championships. As the Director of Skating Programs for the Connaught Skating Club in Richmond, BC since 2009, Keegan has focused on building a strong skating developmental system. His efforts have resulted in an 800+ member club that spans from the CanSkate & Junior Academy programs to national and international competitors. Fostering life skills in his athletes as well as a strong club environment through team coaching, seminar organization, ice show direction, local coach mentorship and community relationship building have been key components to the continued success under Keegan's guidance.
Mary Ellen McDonald Speaker image
Mary Ellen McDonald Speaker image
Mary Ellen McDonald
Senior Director, Operations, Skate Canada
Mary-Liz Wiley Speaker image
Mary-Liz Wiley Speaker image
Mary-Liz Wiley
Skate Canada NCCP Certified Master Coach Developer
Mary Liz Wiley is a Skate Canada NCCP certified master coach developer, learning facilitator, coach evaluator and national coach with over 30 years of experience. Her involvement with CanSkate includes leading the club program, coaching, consulting as well as delivering CanSkate University and refresh workshops. Mary-Liz is the recipient of the Skate Canada Club and Recreational Coach National Award of Excellence. Currently she is a member the Skate Canada Membership Policy Committee, Patinage Quebec’s programs committee and former coach committee member from 2010 to 2018. A firm believer in building a strong foundation, Mary-Liz is also passionate about putting the FUN in Fundamentals. To explore further, come join the “CanSkate: Your Club’s Not-So Secret Weapon” workshop. It all starts in CanSkate…the future awaits!
Megan Foster Speaker image
Megan Foster Speaker image
Megan Foster
Founder, Mosaic Engagement
Megan has been leading individuals and organizations through energetic, interactive facilitation to generate action-based solutions for almost two decades. Now specializing in organizational culture development and strategic planning, she began her professional career in the high-energy world of revenue development where she quickly understood the importance of creative problem-solving to overcome obstacles. Megan has been described as friendly, supportive, and driven and her style of facilitation is constantly referred to as engaging, creative, and fun. She is passionate about helping leaders inspire and energize their team members. As the founder of Mosaic Engagement, she is on a mission to motivate organizations to harness expertise and creative power within their own team. Learn more at www.mosaicengagement.ca. Outside of work, Megan has a Masters in Leadership Studies from Royal Roads University. She enjoys the challenge of maintaining fresh and current content and learning from every session she leads. 
RoxAnne Daignault Speaker image
RoxAnne Daignault Speaker image
RoxAnne Daignault
Technical Director, Kenora Skating Academy
Roxanne is the Owner and Technical Director for the Kenora Skating Academy and has over 44 years of coaching experience coaching skaters to the national championships. She is a National Certified coach, a parenting mental health coach and has served in a variety of volunteer capacities for Skate Ontario and Skate Canada including the Skate Ontario Program Resource Team, and Skate Ontario CanSkate Specialist. During the recent pandemic she helped keep skaters engaged and involved by facilitating workshops for Skate Ontario and she was inducted in the Kenora Sports Hall of Fame as a Builder in 2018.
Sheilagh McCaskill Speaker image
Sheilagh McCaskill Speaker image
Sheilagh McCaskill
Skate Canada NCCP Master Coach Developer
Sheilagh McCaskill is a Skate Canada NCCP master coach developer, learning facilitator and coach evaluator. She believes providing opportunities for growth to all Skate Canada coaches is imperative in assisting clubs and skaters to be the best they can be. Sheilagh has over 45 years of experience as a coach with the Gloucester Skating Club where she has shared her passion for skating with all levels of athletes. Her time at GSC also included the role of Director of CanSkate where she helped develop and deliver the club’s CanSkate program for over 30 years. A firm believer in grassroots programming, Sheilagh has been involved in many Skate Canada initiatives and committees and has had the opportunity to work with club volunteers and coaches in large and small clubs in urban and rural settings across Canada. She looks forward to sharing her ideas and experiences in the “CanSkate: Your Club’s Not-So-Secret Weapon” workshop. 
Tara McGowan Speaker image
Tara McGowan Speaker image
Tara McGowan
Chartered Professional Accountant
Tara McGowan is a Chartered Professional Accountant and co-owner of McGowan Electric, a company of 35 employees which has been operating since 1994. Tara's passion has been helping small businesses excel by improving business administration and financial reporting processes. In the past 14 years, Tara has focused her energy volunteering for the Gloucester Skating Club which serves over 950 skating members with 3 administrative employees and 25 contract coaches. Tara used her accounting and tax expertise to lead the club as Treasurer and Vice-President. Her most notable contributions to the club included redesigning financial reports, budgets and contracts, and implementing an on-line registration system. Today, Tara contributes to the club as a business advisor and host family for elite skaters. Tara hopes to share the club's learning experiences to help other clubs identify opportunities and engage in their own improvement and growth.
Trinette Goarley Speaker image
Trinette Goarley Speaker image
Trinette Goarley
Administrator, Mariposa School of Skating
Trinette Goarley is the Administrator at the Mariposa School of Skating. Trinette enjoyed being a coach for 27 years and holds a level 4 NCCP certification. Professional development has always been a mainstay of Trinette's coaching career and was on the Skate Canada CanSkate Resource Team, attended Skate Canada's STARSkate University, and the National Coaching Apprenticeship. Trinette has enjoyed being a club resource for Skate Canada, Eastern and Central Ontario during the transition of the CanSkate and STARSkate program. In her spare time, Trinette enjoys theatre, music and spending time with her busy 16-year-old daughter and husband. 
Wayne McNeil Speaker image
Wayne McNeil Speaker image
Wayne McNeil
Co-founder, Respect Group
Wayne was Trustee and Vice-Chairman of the Rocky View School Division, volunteer President of the Sheldon Kennedy Foundation, which raised over $1.2 million during the 1998 Cross-Canada Skate to increase awareness to prevent child abuse, served as Chairman of the Alberta Gymnastics Federation and was a founding Board Member of the Calgary Child Advocacy Centre. These volunteer roles, his commitment to child advocacy and his professional IT background lead Wayne to co-found Respect Group in 2004; Canada’s first, on-line, bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination prevention training program for sport organizations, schools and the workplace. Respect Group has certified over 2 M Canadians and is an accredited B Corp.