Championships Cross Country

U SPORTS, the national governing body of university sport in Canada, is pleased to introduce Pierre Arsenault as its new Chief Executive Officer beginning in June 2022. Mr. Arsenault will take over from Interim CEO Dick White, who retires officially on June 3.

Arsenault has more than two decades of executive leadership experience, most recently serving the last 13 years as the Director of Athletics and Recreation at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. He previously held the role of Executive Director with the New Brunswick Golf Association for seven years. His experience includes working as a Development Coordinator with Hockey Canada's Atlantic Centre of Excellence and the technical director with the Saskatchewan Hockey Association.

“We are extremely pleased that a leader such as Pierre has emerged from the pool of talented candidates who applied for the position," said Dr. Joanne MacLean, Chair of the U SPORTS Board of Directors. "Pierre is a consensus builder and is well versed in our ecosystem. We are confident that he will immediately impact our organization and help us build on our solid foundation.”

A graduate of the University of New Brunswick with a Bachelor of Physical Education (Concentration: Sport Administration), Arsenault was bestowed the Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medal for the highest-Grade Point Average among graduating students before completing a Master of Arts, Sport Administration from the University of Ottawa.

While at Mount Allison, he spearheaded the development of a Mounties Strategic Plan, which has served as the framework for so many positive milestones and the development of sports, fitness, and recreation activities. Mounties athletic programs have developed and have had many successes in conference play during Pierre’s tenure and enjoyed increased profile and success in the region and at the national level. In 2013 Mount Allison hosted the national football semi-final, the Uteck Bowl, on campus for the first time in school history. He also played a leadership role in the construction of Alumni Field, undertook a rebrand of Mounties athletics, and brought ‘Mountie Pride’ to life.  

Arsenault is also familiar with the key issues facing university sport in Canada as a past member of the U SPORTS Board of Directors (2018-2020) and was vice-chair during his 2nd year on the board. He was President of Atlantic University Sport (AUS) from 2018 to 2020 and has served on numerous conference and national committees.

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“It is a tremendous honour for me to accept this position to help lead U SPORTS as we continue to celebrate and grow the story of university sport in Canada," said Mr. Arsenault. "I am so very grateful for everything the Mount Allison community has provided me and my family. It will be tough to say goodbye, but I am excited for the opportunity to continue to serve U SPORTS, our members, and student-athletes in a new and exciting manner.”

Although his official appointment begins on June 6, he will soon begin transitioning with outgoing Interim CEO Dick White.

“We would like to thank Dick for agreeing to come out of retirement to provide tremendous leadership over the past two years. He has guided our organization through challenging times, and he leaves U SPORTS in a much better situation than he inherited," added Dr. MacLean.

Arsenault's last day as Mount Allison University's Director of Athletics and Recreation will be June 2. Pierre will maintain his residence in Sackville, NB, where he has lived with his wife Karen and children Jack, Jamie, and Ben for 12 years, but he will regularly commute to the national office in the Toronto area.