Graham Brown is currently the President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for U SPORTS (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport – CIS).  Prior to his role with U SPORTS, Mr. Brown held the positon of both President & 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 Event Management & Sponsorship and speaks regularly at conferences both domestically and internationally. Mr. Brown has 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 men’s rugby program.

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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, 17, Nathalie, 14, and 12-year-old Callum. Lisette has been involved as a participant and administrator in sport her entire life.

Experienced, bilingual sports administrator (Athletic Director/Broadcasting/Communications) with a focus in a post-secondary education environment. Skilled in strategic planning, administration, communications planning (traditional & social media), revenue generation & fundraising, stakeholder engagement, event management, game staging, event management, broadcasting and public speaking.

Member of several boards of directors including the Johnny Bower Foundation, Basketball Québec and la Fédération du sport francophone de l'Alberta.

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Tara Hahto is the U SPORTS Manager of Compliance, Eligibility and Discipline. The portfolio encompasses eligibility, recruiting, AFA and anti-doping policy, as well as compliance and discipline. Additionally, she is involved with U SPORTS Central. Tara’s position works closely with the U SPORTS membership to develop and enhance U SPORTS’ work in these areas.

Tara was an NCAA Division I student-athlete, competing for four years with Boise State University’s swimming team. Following her undergraduate degree in Idaho, she completed her master’s degree at Texas Christian University while working as an assistant coach for the TCU Horned Frogs swimming and diving team. Tara began working with U SPORTS in spring 2013.

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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 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.

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.

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, Pan Am 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. She moved over to take the role of Manager of International Games Operations in 2018 and also manages the U SPORTS Merchandise portfolio. 

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. 

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As the Manager of Governance and Special Projects, Zach works closely with the executive leadership team, in the areas of U SPORTS governance, business operations, and major corporate events (i.e., National Championships, Conference and Annual Meeting, the Lieutenant Governor Athletic Awards, and the Governor General's Academic All-Canadian Commendation). In addition, Zach’s portfolio includes the managing of CEO affairs, as well as the leading of the U SPORTS Internship Program.

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Mohamed Hassan is the Manager, Marketing & Events.

Mohamed has an extensive background in sport marketing, having previously worked as Creative Director at Brock University Athletics. He also founded a Sport Marketing agency, representing organizations such as Canada Basketball, the Canada Summer Games, FIBA, Ontario University Athletics, and more. Mohamed plans to continue to bring his creativity and goal-oriented mindset to U SPORTS.

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As Manager, Communications and Content, Alan oversees all internal, external and corporate communications needs for members, U SPORTS partners and staff, while also working closely with media outlets across the country. Alan also manages the organization’s editorial content production through volunteer and freelance contributors, with a focus on telling the human interest stories prevalent throughout university sports in Canada.

His previous experience includes various roles in the sports media and communications industry, including with Maccabi Canada, Hockey Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee, TSN SportsCentre, Yahoo! Sports Canada and the National Post, among others.

Alan completed his Bachelor of Journalism at Ryerson University in 2013.

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As Coordinator of Digital Content, Christian develops and executes digital marketing strategies, produces multimedia content, and executes effective social media practices and analysis with the Communications and Marketing teams.

Hailing from Nova Scotia, Christian began working in university sport with Acadia Athletics in 2015 before going on to study sport Media at Ryerson University in Toronto. After interning with U SPORTS in 2017, Christian began freelancing as a writer and digital media producer alongside his studies. His repertoire includes work with TSN, Sportsnet, CBC Sports, NBA Canada, and Green Savoree Racing Promotions to name a few.

At the completion of his studies, Christian returned to U SPORTS in his current position to bring his experience in the field together with his passion for Canadian university sport.

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As Coordinator of Digital Technology & Statistics, Elysse coordinates all digital content, national statistics, and stakeholder material on the U SPORTS website, in addition to coordinating U SPORTS office technology. Moreover, she serves as the liaison to all member schools regarding associated sports information and statistics. As a member of the communications team she also works collaboratively on U SPORTS corporate communications and member servicing.

Elysse’s passion for sport has guided her from a career in healthcare to the exciting world of sport business. She began her career with U SPORTS as a marketing and sponsorship intern in 2019 after working with Skate Ontario and graduating with honours from Humber College post-graduate Sport Business Management program. Elysse also holds an undergraduate honours degree in Kinesiology and Health Sciences from York University and a Doctorate of Chiropractic from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College. As an avid community supporter, Elysse has volunteered with multiple sport organizations and events including the Brampton Beasts, Toronto Pan-Am Games, and the IIHF World Junior Championship.

Elysse is particularly passionate about amateur and varsity sport and is looking forward to advancing university sport in Canada.

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As the Sport Coordinator, Jenna offers general support to the Sport Department, including National Championships and Sport Technical, Coaching Programs, Compliance, Eligibility and Discipline, and International Programs.

Jenna graduated from Acadia University in May 2015 with a Bachelor of Kinesiology, and went on to complete a Graduate Certificate in Sport Business Management from Algonquin College the following year. She played varsity soccer for all 5 years of her university career, having played 4 years with the Acadia Axewomen and 1 year at Algonquin College, attending the CCAA National Championship in 2015.

Jenna was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia and has spent the majority of her life on the East Coast. She enjoys coaching youth soccer and was the former Technical Lead at Halifax County United Soccer Club. Jenna was the Women’s Soccer Assistant Coach at Mount Saint Vincent University for 3 years, and attended the CCAA National Championship for her first time as a coach in 2018. She was also a member of the Nova Scotia Canada Games Team in 2009 (soccer) and 2011 (ringette). She has past experience with U SPORTS having been involved with the host committees for the 2016 CIS Women’s Soccer National Championship at Acadia University and the 2017 U SPORTS Men’s Basketball Championship in Halifax, NS.

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