Faculty of Kinesiology

It truly is with extreme fondness and gratitude that I look back (way back!) on my undergrad and graduate degrees at UNB. There wasn’t a backup plan to be honest. I wanted to take Sport Administration and Recreation Studies at UNB and stay in my hometown of Fredericton, where I currently work for the Province’s Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture as Director of the Sport and Recreation Branch.

The last year of my undergrad was a placement at Special Olympics New Brunswick and the experiential learning opportunity set me on a path I had been passionate about from a young age. I spent the next 6 years working for the organization and continued as a volunteer with the Special Olympics movement. This time allowed me to grow tremendously through national and international experiences as a board member and mission staff for teams competing in North Carolina, Alaska, and Shanghai at the World Special Olympics Games.

Just a little while after returning to UNB as a part-time ‘mature’ student in the Master of Arts in Sport and Recreation graduate program I joined the Sport and Recreation Branch in 2001. As part of my role, I had the privilege of liaising with the 2003 Bathurst-Campbellton Canada Winter Games Host Society and ended up connecting this to my thesis topic by examining the motivations and experiences of this executive group of volunteers. The tremendous commitment of volunteers who contribute endless hours of their time and talents has always been something of great interest to me.

Juggling school and work was a lesson in perseverance as well as the importance of support which came from many wonderful faculty, family, and from my employer. Having these leaders in your corner and interacting and collaborating with many of them over the years is incredibly rewarding. It is very encouraging to see current students and so many alumni contributing in important ways to building and advancing sport and recreation.

The work is evolving, and challenges and complexities exist in systems, including rising costs of operations, safety, ethics, the changing nature of volunteerism, access to spaces, places, and resources. All levels of government, not for profit and business sectors, researchers, leaders, and others must continue to collaborate, coordinate and plan to leverage our collective strengths and impacts together so that all can play and be active.

When it does come time to look back, it will also be with great fondness and gratitude for the opportunity to work and learn alongside great teams and leaders who are advancing the goals and objectives of sport, physical activity, and recreation. It is a rewarding career in a field that plays a significant role in benefitting, growing, developing, and connecting people and creating amazing communities!