Graham Brown is currently the President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for U SPORTS Canada (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport – CIS).  Prior to his role with U SPORTS, Mr. Brown held the positon of both CEO of Rugby Canada and the Executive Director of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association. Mr. Brown taught for 10 years at the University of Toronto in the area of Sport Sponsorship and speaks regularly on the topic of sponsorship and event management. Mr. Brown has both an undergraduate and post-graduate Degree in Sports Management from the University of Windsor where he also played varsity football, varsity basketball and was a founding member of the University's rugby program.

As Chief Operating Officer of U SPORTS, David oversees all operational functions of the organization including Human Resources, Finance, Legal, and Technology. In addition, David plays an active role in governance of the organization, managing our Board of Directors and Standing Committees.

Prior to joining U SPORTS, David was a partner at the law firm of Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, where he practiced commercial real estate law and sports law. David acted for a diverse set of stakeholders in the professional and high performance amateur sports industries, providing strategic legal and business advice and negotiating a wide variety of commercial contracts.

As a journalist, David is the author of the upcoming book, Alley-Oop to Aliyah: African American Hoopsters in the Holy Land. He has profiled NBA players in a regular sports feature for the Cincinnati Enquirer, and is also the author of Jamaal Magloire: A Biography. He is a frequent speaker and appears on radio and television discussing the world of sports. David is an Adjunct Professor in Sports Law at the University Of Toronto Faculty Of Law, and he also lectures on the topic at his alma mater, Osgoode Hall Law School. 

"U SPORTS is proud to introduce Lisette Johnson-Stapley as Chief Sport Officer effective mid-June 2016. Lisette Johnson-Stapley has worked in Canadian Sport for over 20 years in the areas of stakeholder relations, program management, event operations, partnerships building, human resources, broadcast, marketing, public relations and revenue generation. She has held leadership roles with the FIFA.

Women’s World Cup 2015 & 2014, Ontario Volleyball, CTV-Rogers, Own the Podium, VANOC (the Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler), Softball Canada and other national sport organizations, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and BMO Financial Group. Her experience on the international scene includes executing initiatives at World Championships in Canada and abroad, as a member of the Canadian Mission Team at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, 2006 Commonwealth Games and the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Games as well FIFA Women’s World Cups.

As General Manager of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015, she led the operations, human resources and financial management as well as stakeholder relations and community engagement, all according to the governance of Canada Soccer and FIFA. She worked with many sport and multi-sport organizations through- out her career to further develop sport, help promote Canadian Athletes and Coaches and create more effi- cient systems to contribute to the improvement of the sport landscape in Canada. Some past responsibilities include working with technical committees and high performance staff in the areas of sport science, doping infraction processes, discipline committees and training and education.

Lisette holds a degree in Economics from Laurentian University. She is fluently bilingual. Lisette was born and raised in Kingston, ON; lived in Ottawa working for various national sport and multi-sport organizations; moved to Calgary to work for Own the Podium and VANOC and now currently resides in Whitby, Ontario with her husband Robert, and three children – Sarah, 13, Nathalie, 11 and 9 year old Callum. Lisette has been involved as a participant and administrator in sport her entire life. "

"Jocelyn Falbo is the Manager, Corporate Events and Awards.

Jocelyn is an accomplished hospitality, event planning and executive administrative professional. After studying Sociology at Western University, Jocelyn graduated from Humber College with a Diploma in Hospitality Management in 2006. She has spent the past 15 years working in hospitality and the past five years of that time as a Senior Event Manager. Her varied experiences in the world of small and large events and sales and customer service have yielded exceptional skills in project management, attention to detail, superior ability to multi task and excellent interpersonal/communication skills.

Jocelyn was born in Calgary, Alberta but was raised in Kanata, Ontario. She now lives in Keswick, Ontario with her husband Daniel. She is passionate about coaching Special Olympics Basketball, planning events for friends and family, and health and wellness."

As Sport Coordinator. Barbara offers general support to the Sport Department, including National Championships & Sport Technical, International Programs, Eligibility and the coordination of a few Committees. Barbara also does translation work for U SPORTS.

Barbara first joined U SPORTS in March 2017 as the International Programs Intern and attended the Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade as Team Canada Games Operations Coordinator. Back from the Games, she was offered the Sport Coordinator position.

Barbara came from France where she was a volleyball player and graduated from a Masters in Intercultural Management & Translation. Before joining our team, she worked in a Business Event Agency in Switzerland as well as for the UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2016 Peace & Sport International Forum.

"Tara Hahto is currently employed as the Manager of Compliance, Eligibility and Discipline. Tara’s portfolio encompasses recruiting regulation, anti-doping policy, compliance and discipline. She is working closely with the U SPORTS Eligibility Committee on eligibility regulation and appeals.

When Tara joined U SPORTS in the spring of 2013, she spent time in the marketing and communications departments. She also ran auxiliary events such as the Governor General’s Academic All-Canadian Commendation.

Tara swam at Boise State University for the duration of her undergraduate degree. Following her fouryears in Idaho, she was an assistant coach of the swimming and diving program at Texas Christian University (TCU) while completing her master’s degree."

The Coordinator, Communications is responsible for supporting the Manager of Communications in all media relations on behalf of the organization, working with media partners across the country at the national, local and university level.

Alan Hudes joined U SPORTS as Coordinator, Communications in May 2016, with a focus on editorial content creation and translation, aimed at telling the stories of its student-athletes and members. Alan previously worked at Maccabi Canada as its Communications Coordinator. He also interned with the Canadian Olympic Committee’s communications team in 2011.

Alan completed his Bachelor of Journalism at Ryerson University in 2013. While on campus, Alan covered U SPORTS athletics at The Eyeopener, The Ryersonian and The Gazette, and served as a sideline reporter on the Ryerson Rams Network and 94.9 CHRW Radio Western.

"The Manager of Finance reports to the Chief Operating Officer and contributes to the overall success of the organization by effectively managing all financial tasks, overseeing budgeting and accounting.

Tony is an accounting and finance professional with over 20 years of experience from numerous industries and has held various titles, from an Accountant at Ontario SPOR Support Unit to Director of Finance at The Art Institute of Toronto. In his diverse roles, Tony’s duties have included financial reporting, administration of budgets, directing forecasts and managing the day to day operations of accounting departments.

Tony earned a Diploma in Accounting and Finance from Seneca College. He currently lives in Toronto with his wife and two kids."

As the Coordinator, Web, Statistics, and Information Technology, Renee Ridout coordinates digital content including the launch of the new U SPORTS website, national statistics, and she also works on the coordination of the U SPORTS office IT. 

She recently began her role with U SPORTS (formerly CIS) in May 2016.
Renee previously worked at AthletesCAN, the association of Canada’s national team athletes, as the Chief Content Curator. She started her path in high-performance sport with AthletesCAN in 2014. Renee worked on various projects with AthletesCAN promoting the collective athlete voice, as well, she assisted with the CIBC Team Next over the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games.

Renee has her Bachelor of Arts in New Media and Anthropology at the University of Toronto and recently completed her Masters degree in Information at the University of Toronto. While at U of T Renee was also the captain of the Varsity Blues Women’s Fastpitch Team.

As Manager, Sport Technical and National Championships, Scott is charged with leading all areas of sport, including Sport Technical Sub-Committees, Rules and Regulations and Coaching Associations. He also is the main point of contact for all championship hosts, and manages deliverables internally for National Championships, while also seeing through championships from bid to evaluation.

Scott was hired into the CIS in September 2014 as Events and Programs Officer, after completing a three month contract with the government of Canada. He moved over with the office, from Ottawa to Toronto as it transitioned from CIS to U SPORTS in October 2016. Scott graduated from Bishop’s University in April 2014, with a Bachelor of Business Administration, concentration in Marketing and Major in Sports Studies. At Bishop’s, Scott was the captain of the varsity basketball team, who participate in U SPORTS. He helped guide the team to back to back conference finals in his last two seasons as a varsity athlete and was named MVP of the team in 2013, and the male academic athlete of the year at the institution in 2014. Throughout his time at university, Scott also took part in numerous fundraising initiatives, earning him the RSEQ leadership award in 2014. He was also the lead coach for a program called Small Ball, where young children of the community could learn the fundamentals of basketball. This program earned accolades in the community of Lennoxville, winning the sport program of the year in 2014. Scott is an avid volunteer in the sport community as well, and has been involved with major events, such as the 2013 Sherbrooke Canada Games, where he was a planning volunteer for the Athlete’s Village. Scott is pursuing a career in sport, in the marketing and events area, and has true passion for amateur sport in Canada.

"Ken joined U SPORTS in September 2016 to lead the communications department and to design and coordinate the implementation of the communication strategies of the organization, including Media Relations, Public Relations, Broadcast and Digital communications.

Ken previously worked in Marketing and Communications agencies for brands such as the NFL, ESPN and major European sponsors (ATP Circuit, ITU World Triathlon Series). He also worked as a consultant for major sport events such as the 2015 PanAm / Parapan Am Games, UEFA Euro 2016 and the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games."

Charonne began a career in the Sports Industry in 2008 as an intern with Ruby Canada. She has taken on a variety of roles in a few different sports throughout the years including the Grey Cup, PanAM Games, Toronto FC and Canada Soccer International matches, and continues to be an active coach in gymnastics and athletics. Charonne joined U SPORTS as the Manager of Marketing and Brand in October 2017 after being with Ontario Soccer for 9 years. In February she officially moved over to take the role of Manager of International Games Operations. 

Charonne was a former NCAA student-athlete in track and field. She has a Bachelors of Business Administration degree with a specialization in Sport and Entertainment Management from Northwood University in Michigan and a Masters of Science degree in Athletic Administration from Ohio University. 

As the Sport Administrator, Zach works closely with the CEO, COO, and Manager of Corporate Events and Awards to assist with U SPORTS governance, operations, and major events (i.e., National Championships, Conference and Annual Meeting, BLG Awards, and Academic All-Canadians).

Zach holds two degrees from The University of Western Ontario, with a Masters specialization in Sport Management and Leadership. His Master’s Thesis was entitled: Character in Leadership: Perceptions of Intercollegiate Athletics Administrators. His research examined the character dimensions of the Athletic Administrators that make up U SPORTS.

During his time at Western, Zach assumed an active role in student leadership and event management. He held a number of leadership positions with both the undergraduate and graduate student associations and was very involved in planning and delivering academic and social events. He also assumed leadership roles with a number of charitable organizations.

His major passions include health and wellness, sport and recreation, and leadership.