2024-2025 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
| Name | Role | Province | On Board Since | Last elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florence Klein | President | QC | 2018 | 2024 |
| Lindsay Duncan | Vice-President | QC | 2017 | 2022 |
| Sara Hart | AB | 2020 | 2023 | |
| Jason Herbert | BC | 2020 | 2023 | |
| GREG McILWAIN | AB | 2023 | 2023 | |
| PAUL FRITZ-NÉMETH | ON | 2024 | 2024 | |
| JESSICA RUTLEDGE | ON | 2021 | 2024 | |
| Dawn Wilson | BC | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Catherine Barrett | Athlete Council Chair | NL | 2023 | 2023 |
Interested to join our dynamic board team?
Click here!AQUATIC FEDERATIONS REPRESENTATIVES
| Name | Role | Province |
|---|---|---|
| Cheryl Gibson | World Aquatics Bureau member, World Aquatics Artistic Swimming Liaison | AB |
| Lisa Schott | World Aquatics TASC (Technical Artistic Swimming Committee) Chair Pan Am Aquatics Technical Artistic Swimming Committee Vice-Chair |
AB |
| Florence Klein | Aquatics Masters Technical Committee Member Aquatics Canada Aquatique President |
QC |
| Sheilagh Croxon | World Aquatics Coaching Committee Representative | ON |
| Stéphane Côté | Pan Am Aquatics Representative | QC |
| Erika Lindner | Pan Am Aquatics Representative | ON |
| Dot Padget | Pan Am Aquatics Masters Committee Member | AB |
| Jessica Rutledge | Aquatics Canada Representative | ON |
COMMITTEES
Click on the committees titles to see a full description
STANDING COMMITTEES
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| Sara Hart | Co-Chair |
| JASON HERBERT | Co-Chair |
| Helen Kelley | Provincial Representative |
| Alicia Renaud-Paquin | Member |
| Catherine Barrett | Member |
| Steve Wallace | CAS Resource |
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
Purpose
The purpose of the Governance Committee is to ensure that the Board fulfills its legal, ethical, and functional responsibilities through adequate governance, policy development, risk management, recruitment strategies, training programs, monitoring of Board activities, and evaluation of Board members’ performance.
Committee Composition
The Governance Committee will be composed of six (6) Canada Artistic Swimming registrants including a Chair who shall be appointed by the Board, the Athlete Council Chair, one current Director, and three representatives at large (not more than one per province)
Key Duties
The duties of the Governance Committee are:
GOVERNANCE
- Ensure Bylaws are compliant with legal requirements and funding regulations.
- Review current Board policies to ensure they are relevant, meet legal requirements and understood by the Directors. Policy development and review will be led by the Policy Working Group.
- Make recommendations for Board support (Board development, evaluation, recruitment and training).
- Ensure that the Board of Directors and the committee structure and culture reflect best practices of governance principles as guided by Sport Canada and the Not for Profit Act.
RISK MANAGEMENT
- Provide expertise to enhance the quality of Broad of Directors discussion on risk management matters and facilitate effective Broad of Directors’ decision-making in this area.
- Ensure that programs and service delivery are provided in a manner consistent with generally recognized standards for good practice and that risk is mitigated in a prudent and effective manner.
- Respond as appropriate to feedback from issues addressed by 3rd party complaint agencies.
- In conjunction with the Chief Executive Officer, review Canada Artistic Swimming’s risk registry on an annual basis, or as needed, identifying risks, classifying them and providing recommendations on changes in strategic directions and/or operations to manage risks associated with decision-making at the Board of Directors and operational levels.
Skills Set for Committee Members
- Persons appointed to the committee will have knowledge, experience and interest in governance issues and will reflect, to the extent possible, the diversity of the Canada Artistic Swimming membership including geography, language, artistic swimming specific knowledge, professional backgrounds and personal experience.
- Legal experience is important to this committee.
Term
- Governance Committee members may serve more than one year on the Committee.
- Participation in the Committee is limited to a maximum of six consecutive one-year terms. The Chair may serve a maximum of four (4) consecutive one-year terms as chairperson of the Committee, and his/her participation in the Committee is limited in total to the number of terms for members (six one-year terms).
Meetings and Resources
- The Governance Committee will meet, as required. Meetings will be at the call of the Chair. Minutes of all meetings will be taken.
- Each voting member of the Governance Committee, including the Chair, will have one vote. In the event of a tie, the Chair will cast a second and deciding vote. Roberts Rules will be followed.
- The Governance Committee will be assigned the necessary administrative and financial support from Canada Artistic Swimming to fulfill its mandate.
Last Updated: March 2019
Board Approval: March 29, 2019
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| Lindsay Duncan | Chair |
| JESSICA RUTLEDGE | Member |
| Mélanie Beaudoin | Member |
| Nikki Singh Campagna | Member |
NOMINATING COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
Purpose
The Nominating Committee is responsible for ensuring that the members of Canada Artistic Swimming are presented with capable and eligible nominees for election to the Board at the Annual Meeting. Members of the Nominating Committee recruit, and evaluate candidates; they prepare the list of directors for election and make recommendations for specific candidates.
Committee Composition
The Nominating Committee will be composed of four (4) Canada Artistic Swimming registrants including a Chair who shall be a Board member not up for re-election and three representatives at large (not more than one per province). The Chair is appointed by the Board following the Annual Meeting and the Chair selects the balance of the committee.
Key Duties
The duties of the Nominating Committee are:
- Perform a gap analysis on current board to determine strengths and weaknesses, and identify desirable qualities or qualifications for future board members
- Identify, evaluate, recruit capable and eligible persons to stand for election as Directors,
- Promote diversity of directors in relation to geography, language, professional backgrounds and personal experience,
- Receive and review nominations for filling board vacancies or positions and interview candidates
- Create and maintain a template to be used in the evaluation of potential candidates
- Execute best efforts to ensure, in any given election, that no nominee gains office by acclamation,
- Ensure requirements of the bylaws are adhered to in the nomination process and election outcome,
- Participate in the election process at the AM as directed by the Board Chair and as per the Nominating and Election Policy.
Skills Set for Committee Members
- Persons appointed to the committee will have knowledge, experience and interest in governance issues and will reflect, to the extent possible, the diversity of the Canada Artistic Swimming membership including geography, language, artistic swimming -specific knowledge, professional backgrounds and personal experience
- HR experience is desirable
Term
- Nominating Committee members may serve more than one year on the Committee.
- Participation in the Committee is limited to a maximum of six consecutive one-year terms. The Chair may serve a maximum of four (4) consecutive one-year terms as chairperson of the Committee, and his/her participation in the Committee is limited in total to the number of terms for members (six one-year terms).
Meetings and Resources
- The Nominating Committee will meet, as required. Meetings will be at the call of the Chair. Minutes of all meetings will be taken.
- Each voting member of the Nominating Committee, including the Chair, will have one vote. In the event of a tie, the Chair will cast a second and deciding vote. Roberts Rules will be followed.
- The Nominating Committee will be assigned the necessary administrative and financial support from Canada Artistic Swimming to fulfill its mandate.
Last Updated: March 2019
Board Approval: May 5, 2020
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| Paul Fritz-Nemeth | Chair |
| Ann Stirrat | Member |
| Florence Klein | Member |
| Steve Wallace | Member |
FINANCE & AUDIT COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
Purpose
The purpose of the Finance and Audit Committee is to review, to make recommendations, and to provide guidance on Canada Artistic Swimming’s financial reports, internal controls, independent audit, budget process, and financial analysis.
Committee Composition
The Finance and Audit Committee will be composed of six (6) registrants including a Chair, who is the Treasurer of Canada Artistic Swimming, four (4) registrants at large (not more than one per province, the President of Canada Artistic Swimming, and, as required, non-voting resource members, such as the Chief Executive Officer, other association staff members, and consultants.
Key Duties
The duties of the Finance and Audit Committee are:
FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
- Oversee finance and audit matters of the organization ensuring adequate procedures and policies are in place to minimize any risk associated with Canada Artistic Swimming Board decisions.
- Review financial plan, budget, audited financial statements, and asset and liability management plan.
- Make recommendations for Board support (financial plan, budget, financial policies, asset and liability management, and audited financial statements).
- Review financial statements.
- Report on financial activity, financial plan, policy compliance (e.g., Delegation of Authority and Financial Stewardship, Financial Transactions with Stakeholders and Investment Policies etc.), and financial risks to ensure they are aligned with Canada Artistic Swimming’s strategic goals and objectives and key success metrics.
FINANCIAL AUDIT
- Review audit plan annually.
- Engage with an accredited accounting firm in the review of Canada Artistic Swimming’s financial statements.
INTERNAL CONTROLS AND COMPLIANCE
- Assists the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with review and compliance of funding submissions and agreements as required.
- Review internal controls issues and recommendations in auditor’s management letter.
Skills Set for Committee Members
- Persons appointed to the committee will have knowledge, experience and interest in financial analysis, financial reporting, audit controls, and accounting principles and will reflect, to the extent possible, the diversity of the Canada Artistic Swimming membership including geography, language, artistic swimming specific knowledge, professional backgrounds, and personal experience. Business finance, cost accounting, financial accounting, and financial ratios experience is important to this committee.
Term
- Finance and Audit Committee members may serve more than one year on the Committee.
- Participation in the Committee is limited to a maximum of six (6) consecutive one-year terms. The Chair may serve a maximum of four (4) consecutive one-year terms as chairperson of the Committee, and his/her participation on the Committee is limited in total to the number of terms for members (six one-year terms).
Meetings and Resources
- The Finance and Audit Committee will meet, as required. Meetings will be at the call of the Chair. Minutes of all meetings will be taken.
- Each voting member of the Finance and Audit Committee, including the Chair, will have one vote. In the event of a tie, the Chair will case a second and deciding vote. Roberts Rules will be followed.
- The Finance and Audit Committee will be assigned the necessary administrative and financial support from Canada Artistic Swimming to fulfill its mandate.
Last Updated: June 2017
Board Approval: June 2017
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| Dawn Wilson | Chair and Board Liaison |
| Jason Herbert | Member |
| Florence Klein | Member |
| Greg McIlwain | Member |
| Steve Wallace | CAS Resource |
HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
Purpose
The purpose of the Human Resources Committee is to advise the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to human resources and compliance management, CEO performance evaluation, development planning, compensation, interruption planning, senior management team succession planning and related risk management considerations.
Committee Composition
The Human Resources Committee will be composed of three Canada Artistic Swimming Directors, who are recommended by the Governance Committee and approved by the Board. The President of the Board will act as an ex officio member of the HR committee.
Except when the Committee is dealing with in camera matters such as the performance evaluation of the CEO, the CEO by invitation of the HR Committee, may attend meetings as staff representative but not as a member.
The Committee may recruit, as needed, individuals/firms with expertise, with or without compensation.
Key Duties
The duties of the Human Resources Committee are:
HUMAN RESOURCES AND COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT
- Review Canada Artistic Swimming’s human resources policies to ensure compliance with legal requirements, labour codes, human resources practices, and compensation matters.
- Make recommendations for Board consideration (organizational structure, best practices, evaluation, employee selection and termination policies).
- Review negotiation practices, senior management agreements, and independent contracts to ensure compliance with legal requirements, strategic goals and objectives, and organizational needs.
- Review organizational structure at the senior management level.
COMPENSATION
- Review the CEO’s and senior management team’s compensation structures and other conditions of employment.
- Make recommendations for senior management team compensation that aligns with Canada Artistic Swimming’s philosophy, pay design structure, performance evaluations, and development plans.
- Review employee benefit plans and reports to ensure compliance with legal requirements.
EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AND COMPETENCY
- Review the position descriptions for the senior management team.
- Review short-term and long-term operational goals and objectives, and performance measurement indicators and metrics, for CEO.
- Review the performance and development management plan for the senior management team.
EXECUTIVE SUCCESSION PLANNING
Review senior management team succession plans for both short-term and long-term needs that align with Canada Artistic Swimming’s strategic plan and fiscal budget.
Skill Set for Committee Members
- Members appointed to the committee will have knowledge, experience and interest in Human Resources issues and will reflect, to the extent possible, the diversity of the Canada Artistic Swimming membership including geography, language, artistic swimming specific knowledge, professional backgrounds, and personal experience. Labour relations expertise and experience is important to this committee.
Term
- Human Resources Committee members may serve more than one year on the Committee.
- Participation in the Committee is limited to a maximum of six (6) consecutive one-year terms. The Chair may serve a maximum of four (4) consecutive one-year terms as chairperson of the Committee, and their participation on the Committee is limited in total to the number of terms for members (six one-year terms)
Meetings and Resources
The Human Resources Committee will meet, as required, minimum once per quarter. Meetings will be at the call of the Chair. Minutes of all meetings will be taken.
Quorum of the human resources committee is all members of the committee.
Each voting member of the Human Resources Committee, including the Chair, will have one vote. In the event of a tie the Chair will cast a second and deciding vote.
The Human Resources Committee will be assigned the necessary administrative and financial support from Canada Artistic Swimming to fulfill its mandate.
Objectives/Deliverables
On an annual basis, the Committee will establish a plan outlining the objectives and deliverables for that year and present it to the Board in the fall. The plan shall reflect how the Committee intends to fulfill its mandate and Key Duties for that year.
Reporting
The Committee will report to the Board at every meeting of the Board. The committee will report to Members at the AGM, in the form of a written report of the Committee Chairperson.
Review and Approval
The Board will review these terms of reference at least every two years and make revisions as necessary.
Last Updated: April 9, 2024
Board Approved: May 11, 2024
OPERATIONAL COMMITTEES
| Members | Role /Province |
|---|---|
| Karen Land | Chair – MB |
| Carly Abraham | Member – AB |
| Kirsten Brough | Member – SK |
| Marianne Cabana | Member – ON |
| Erika Lindner | Member – ON |
| Genevieve Quesnel | Member – QC |
| Karen Seymour | Member – ON |
| Greg McIlwain | Board Liaison |
| Stéphane Côté | CAS Resource |
RULES/TECHNICAL COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| Paul Fritz-Nemeth | Chair |
| Josée Lanouette | Member |
| Sara Hart | Member |
| Jessica Rutledge | Member |
| Florence Klein | Member |
| Dawn Wilson | Member |
| Steve Wallace | Member |
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| Lisa Schott | Chair & World Aquatics Liaison |
| Florence Klein | Board Liaison |
| Louise Newburry | International Official Liaison |
| Erika Lindner | Pan Am Aquatics Liaison |
| Stéphane Côté | Chief Operating Officer |
| Karine Doré | Senior National Team Lead Coach |
| Vacant | CAS Resource |
EXTERNAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
Under review
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| Kari McKnight | Chair |
| Kirsten Brough | Member |
| Jordan Eaton | Member |
| Melanie Lacroix | Member |
| Erika Lindner | Member |
| Kim Labelle | Member |
| Jessica Lamontagne | Member |
| Greg McIlwain | Board Liaison |
| Kara Heald | CAS Resource |
NATIONAL OFFICIALS COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
Under review
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| Catherine Barrett | Chair |
| Mya Fortin | Interim Senior National Team Representative |
| Coralie Pelletier | Junior National Team Representative |
| Audrey Lamothe | Member-at-large |
| Alyssa You | Member-at-large |
| Angela Zhou | Member-at-large |
ATHLETES COUNCIL - Terms of reference
Purpose
The purpose of the Athletes Council is to represent and promote the views and interests of the National programs and CAS athletes to ensure the collective voice of athletes is represented in furthering the CAS vision to be a world leading nation in Artistic Swimming.
Composition
The Athletes Council is comprised of persons who are registrants or past registrants in good standing of CAS. The elected Athlete Representative will serve as the Council Chair, attend board meetings and provide counsel to the CAS Board of Directors. The Council will be comprised of:
- Chairperson: The Chair must be a former Canadian National Team member (Junior or Senior) and have been retired within 8 years at the time of their first term election.
- Senior National Team Representative
- Junior National Team Representative
- Two members at large to be appointed by the Athletes Council Chair, High Performance Lead & CEO
- All Council members will have values consistent with CAS, adhere to the Conduct Policy, and have clear understanding of the safe and welcoming sport policy suite as well as the Universal Code of Conduct for the Prevention of Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS).
- Persons appointed to the Council will have knowledge, experience and interest in athlete issues and will reflect, to the extent possible, the diversity of the Canada Artistic Swimming membership including but not limited to geography, language, artistic swimming -specific knowledge, cultural background, professional backgrounds and personal experience
Key Duties
Ensure that athletes participate in a constructive and professional manner in the decision making and feedback process of CAS.
Ensure to the greatest extent possible, that CAS policies and programs meet the needs of the athletes by:
- Providing athlete representation to the Board.
- Providing input prior to approval on key documents/policies/topics directly or indirectly affecting athletes including but limited to: Athlete Agreements; Rule Changes; Conduct Policy
- Developing various forums and platforms including the CAS website, in which athletes can share and develop information or ideas as they relate to the development or well-being of athletes at all levels.
- Developing leadership succession and skills within the athlete community as a whole
- Delegating tasks to council members and supporting them in task completion.
- Regularly scheduled council meetings to determine areas of opportunity and solutions to present to the board of directors.
- Representing the athletes as it relates to Safe and Welcoming Sport and raising the concerns with respect to the well-being of athletes.
- Coordinate with the board of directors to deliver safe and welcoming sport resources to teams (alongside all other relevant parties).
- Being a resource to athletes for any reason whatsoever, including, without limitations, all matters relating to the performances and well-being of the athletes.
- Develop a communications plan whereby athletes can contact their representative (i.e., via webform from the CAS website)
- Determine what tools or solutions athletes require to assist them with challenges and identify opportunities.
- Develop a reporting process whereby the athlete council communicates all athlete communication back to the board.
- Recognizing and reflecting inclusivity and the diversity of the organization in its actions and decisions.
- Analyze the make-up of the CAS athlete group (see recent research results), and draft suggestions to the Board addressing how we could be more inclusive to our current and prospective athletes and attract a more diverse group of athletes.
- Presenting an Athlete Report annually at the CAS Annual General Meeting that provides key insights and feedback from the athletes.
- Content should include but not be limited to: results from Board-approved athlete surveys, key learnings from meeting with CAS athletes at meets, and other athlete council reps met through the COC network.
- To this end, the Council must develop an annual calendar for meetings,
events, and reports to present to the BOD at the beginning of each term.
- To this end, the Council must develop an annual calendar for meetings,
- Content should include but not be limited to: results from Board-approved athlete surveys, key learnings from meeting with CAS athletes at meets, and other athlete council reps met through the COC network.
The Chair of the Council (or appointee) attends the AthletesCAN annual forum provided funding is available from AthletesCAN.
- Report back to the Board about key learnings from the forum including but not limited to what the top priorities of AthletesCAN are, and what strategies CAS could implement to be aligned with the group
Term
The Chair of the Athletes Council will be elected to a 3-year term normally by CAS Athletes. The election may take place at the National Qualifier competition or another such forum. If such a forum is not available or not practical, the CAS Board, High Performance Lead, Chief Executive Officer, and outgoing Chair of the Athletes Council may appoint the Chair of the Athletes Council. The Chair of the Athletes Council may only serve for up to two 3-year terms.
The Senior National Team council representative will serve a 2-year term and will be elected by the members of the full-time training group. If this representative ends their term early, and an election is not practical, an interim Senior National Team council representative may be appointed by the Athletes Council until an election is possible.
The Junior National Team council representative will serve a 1-year term and will be appointed by the Athletes Council Chair, the High Performance Lead, and the Chief Executive Officer. This role will be chosen following Junior National Team selection each year.
Members at large will serve 2-year terms and may be re-invited by the Athlete Council Chair, CEO and CSO to serve an additional 2-year term.
Terms of Reference
- The Chair of the Council reviews the Terms of Reference with CAS President, CEO and CSO at the end of each 3-year term.
Nominating Process
- The nomination process shall open three months prior to National Qualifiers
- The Chief Sport Officer may be consulted to determine the recently retired athlete pool
- Candidates will be required to submit a statement of interest and reviewed by the Nominating Committee including current Athlete Chair
- Upon review by the Nominating Committee, the athletes will be informed about the candidates for voting (i.e. link on CAS website, social media)
Voting Procedure
- The current athlete chair may host an informational meeting prior to the voting of the Athlete Chair
- Voting may occur electronically and/or with hard copy ballots at the National Qualifier event
- The successful Athlete Chair will be determined by majority vote
Onboarding Process for Athlete Chair
- The CAS Chair of the Board will meet with the Athlete Chair to onboard them in regards to:
- The structure and terminology of the board meetings and governance structure
- Ensuring proper forms are signed
- An overview of where to find documents
- Ensuring Terms of Reference are understood
- Ensuring flow of communication is understood
- The Athlete Chair will meet with a member of the AthletesCAN Board of Directors to gain a better understanding of how to run an Athlete’s Council
- Documents on the AthletesCAN website will serve as a guide
Last Updated: October 28, 2024
Board Approval: December 9, 2024
| Members | Role |
|---|---|
| Lindsay Duncan | Member |
| Sara Hart | Member |
| Greg McIlwain | Member |
| Dawn Wilson | Member |
STRATEGIC PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
TBC
ALUMNI RELATIONS COMMITTEE - Terms of reference
Terms of reference coming soon.