Who We Are

Board Of Directors

The RCA Board of Directors’ role is to govern RCA by providing leadership and direction in the pursuit of its vision and mission. The Board is elected by the membership of RCA and is accountable to the membership for competent stewardship that will ensure the long-term viability of RCA. The Board of Directors’ first duty is to the legal entity CARA. In meeting this duty the Board must ensure that all legal requirements under the relevant Acts are met and that CARA is protected from harmful situations and circumstances in the interests of current and future stakeholders. For more information on the Board’s role, please see the RCA Governance Policy.

Meeting Minutes

• Carol Purcer

  President

  Carol Purcer is a volunteer who is passionate about growing the sport of rowing.  Her involvement spans twenty five years of volunteering as an RCA Umpire and as a member of a number of provincial and national committees. She has served as a leader on the RCA Board as Provincial Director as well as Vice President – Events for ROWONTARIO and as President of Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association (CSSRA). She was Chair of the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta for seven years and has also chaired the CSSRA Championship Regatta. 

  Carol has an educational background in sport, a Masters of Education in Organizational Studies and is a retired secondary school principal.  She has had opportunities over many years that have  allowed her to develop skills in communication, organization, planning and preparation, social skills, conflict resolution, as well as problem solving to continuously encourage change for improvement, all skills that will serve her well in the role of President of Rowing Canada Aviron.

  Carol’s vision as President is to use these skills to deeply understand the varied needs across the country and develop a plan to support our members to grow clubs and high school programs and in turn, grow our sport.  Her view is that one size doesn’t fit all and finding differentiated pathways to success will help participants at many different levels.

  

  Carol Purcer

  Carol Purcer

  President

  president@rowingcanada.org

• Carol Hermansen

  Provincial Director

  Prior to her appointment to the RCA Board as Provincial Director, Carol was a member of the RCA Board as President of the Alberta Rowing Association and the RCA Provincial Relations Advisory Council. Carol has also served as President of the Calgary Rowing Club and President of the Calgary Booster Club.

  

  Carol Hermansen

  Carol Hermansen

  Provincial Director

• Jennifer Walinga

  Director

  Dr. Jennifer Walinga, a professor and consultant based in Victoria, BC, has enjoyed a successful and wide ranging career in sport and education. She began as a multi sport athlete and gradually focused on rowing under the fortunate tutelage of Carol Love.  A two-time Olympian in rowing, Walinga was a member of Canada’s Commonwealth (1986), World (1991), and Olympic champion fours and eights, and, in 2013, was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame along with her extraordinary crew.

  She has been an educator and consultant for 30 years in all areas of communication including digital communications, branding, organization and culture development, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning. She earned her PhD in Organizational Studies from the University of Victoria, where she developed an award-winning problem-solving intervention called Integrated Focus and now consults to organizations from a variety of realms including health, sport, media, education, government, and private industries.

  She holds a particular passion for the ideals of sport, believing strongly in the Olympic values and the positive power of sport to transform and inspire communities. The experience she gained training and competing at an elite level forms the basis for her research and practice which includes cultural development in organizations, optimal human and team performance, women in leadership, and promoting values through sport. She is a mother of three and, along with her husband Craig White, is an active member of the athletic and educational communities in Victoria, BC.

  

  Jennifer Walinga

  Jennifer Walinga

  Director

• Peter McClelland

  Director

  Peter’s experience as a competitive rower over a decade culminated in being one of the travelling spares for the 2012 Olympics. He first began rowing as a novice at Western University, where he progressed to eventually become a provincial and national champion. He then moved on to the University of Cambridge where he competed in and won The Boat Race in 2010. Finally, he joined the RCA National Team full-time just after returning to Canada in 2010 where he medaled at the 2011 Pan American Games, was a spare at the 2012 Olympics, and won a bronze medal at the 2012 World Championships in the coxed pair.

  After retiring from rowing in 2012, Peter moved back to Toronto and entered the field of finance and spent his first two and a half years in investment banking with Scotiabank, covering large consumer product and retail companies across North America.  He now works for OMERS (the Ontario Municipal Employee Retirement System) in their private equity group.

  Peter has always been involved on the leadership front as well. While at Western, he was captain of the team and President of the student executive committee that oversaw all operations of the team. Since leaving Western, he has also been a part of the Western Rowing alumni association, acting as its President for the last seven years.

  

  Peter McClelland

  Peter McClelland

  Director

• Marisha Roman

  Director

  Marisha is a lawyer, adjudicator, workplace investigator and competitive Masters rower with the Argonaut Rowing Club and the Toronto Sculling Club. She currently serves as a Workplace Investigator and Trainer with Rubin Thomlinson LLP and focuses her private practice on investigating complaints in the post-secondary sector. She is currently a Director with the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) and the Chair of the SDRCC Safe Sport Advisory Committee.
   
  She has previously held positions as the Aboriginal Initiatives and Policy Counsel for the Law Society of Upper Canada and as an adjudicator with the Child and Family Services Review Board. In addition, she has served on the Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS) board and volunteers with the ALS Community Council Program, a criminal offence diversion program. She also supports community-level and elite athletics in Ontario as the City of Toronto appointee to the Pan Am-ParaPan Am Legacy Fund Allocation Committee.

  

  Marisha Roman

  Marisha Roman

  Director

• Douglas Vandor

  Athlete Director

  Born and raised in the province of Quebec, Doug moved to Victoria, British Columbia in 2001 following the completion of his Master of Science degree in Experimental Surgery at McGill University. As a member of the National Rowing Team for 12 years, Doug rowed in every lightweight boat class at the international level. A spare at the Athens Olympics in 2004, he competed in the lightweight double at both the 2008 Beijing and the 2012 London Olympics.

  Following his retirement from the team, Doug was a part of the Brand and Communications team at RBC Royal Bank for four years as well as a member of the communications team at Rowing Canada Aviron.    

  Doug continues to give back to the sporting community, most recently as Chef de Mission for the Canadian Delegation that competed at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

  

  Douglas Vandor

  Douglas Vandor

  Athlete Director

• Thomas Hawker

  Director - Treasurer

  Tom Hawker started rowing for recreation with his daughters  in 2002, and has gone on to compete in local and international regattas.

  Tom completed his economics degree at the University of Victoria, obtained his CA designation in 1983, and has been a partner with Field & Company since 1990 and works with family-owned businesses and entrepreneurs.

  In addition to his volunteer work with RCA, Tom gives his time to a number of community organizations and has been a long-serving member of the Camosun College Foundation Board of Directors.

  

  Thomas Hawker

  Thomas Hawker

  Director - Treasurer

We want to hear from you! 

• Terry Dillon

  Chief Executive Officer

  Terry is responsible for the operations of RCA and the fulfilment of RCA’s operational and strategic priorities. As CEO, he has responsibility for administration, planning, financial management, communications, partner relations, and all programs of RCA. He works closely with the Board of Directors in fulfilling their governance role, as well as standing committees, operating committees, staff and key volunteers to achieve Rowing Canada Aviron’s goals.  

  tdillon@rowingcanada.org

• Iain Brambell

  High Performance Director

  Iain is responsible for developing, leading and executing the vision for RCA’s high performance strategy and National Team (Senior, U23, Junior, Para) programs and for the daily management of all high performance competition and support programs leading to sustainable medal performances at World Championships and Olympic/Paralympic Games. He is responsible for the overall leadership of the National Training Centre and National Team programs, camps and competition. He provides leadership and direction to a team of coaches, sport science/medical practitioners, and RCA administrative staff. Working closely with the Director Coach and Athlete Pathways, he monitors and supports sound execution, delivery and accountability of the high performance pathway. 

  ibrambell@rowingcanada.org

• Jennifer Fitzpatrick

  Director of Partnerships and Sport Development

  Jennifer is responsible for developing and executing the strategic planning and implementation of domestic operations. This includes providing direction for the implementation of Coach, Umpire, Member Services and Engagement initiatives. Jennifer also oversees the Marketing and Communications strategy for the promotion of rowing in Canada. Jennifer works with government, corporate and community partners, member clubs and associations to increase inclusiveness, develop awareness of and increase participation in rowing across Canada.  

  jfitzpatrick@rowingcanada.org

• Adam Parfitt

  Director, Coach and Athlete Pathways

  Adam is responsible for the effective alignment, development and delivery of the coach and athlete high performance pathway through RCA’s NextGen strategy. He works within RCA High Performance Program overseeing NextGen staff, and their relationships with HUB partners and Provincial Rowing Associations to ensure collaboration and engagement around a common strategy of plans and activities. In Adam’s role he oversees the NextGen Strategy, including Talent ID programs, NextGen HUBs and Provincial Rowing Association engagement strategies.  

  parfitt@rowingcanada.org

• Kim Bell

  Manager, Finance and Human Resources

  Kim is responsible for implementing, evaluating and maintaining systems and processes of financial management and human resources and works in close collaboration with the Treasurer. Kim is responsible for developing financial, budget and investment controls and reporting; directing effective and efficient office, human resource and administrative procedures and standards; managing benefit and insurance programs and contracts/leases of the organization and, ensuring adherence to all applicable regulatory requirements.   

  kimbell@rowingcanada.org

• Michelle Boss

  High Performance Coordinator

  Michelle provides coordination, administration, facility management and operations support to the Rowing Canada Aviron High Performance rowing program and the National Training Centre. Michelle also works closely with the NextGen Program Coordinator in the development of event specific plans for National Team events and camps.  

  mboss@rowingcanada.org

• Lindsey Brown

  NextGen Program Coordinator

  Lindsey provides coordination, administrative and relationship support to the NextGen initiative. In her role Lindsey is also responsible for RCA’s outfitting of National Team Programs and she works closely with the High Performance Coordinator in the development of event specific plans for National Team events and camps.  

  lbrown@rowingcanada.org

• Colleen Coderre

  Communications Lead

  Colleen is responsible for planning and execution of the Marketing and Communications strategy for the promotion of rowing in Canada and the promotion of our National Teams. Colleen is responsible for leveraging communication activities to enhance the growing presence of the sport in the media and the rowing community.  

  coderre@rowingcanada.org

• Kayla Cornale

  NextGen Para Rowing Lead

  Kayla directs the planning, implementation and operation of the Next Gen Para-Rowing Program and its integration with RCA’s High Performance program. Kayla is responsible for establishing the Para-Rowing Development Pathway and the implementation of an innovative program. 

  kcornale@rowingcanada.org

• Matt Draper

  High Performance Manager

  Matt is responsible for the general administration of the RCA High Performance and National Team program and the logistical coordination of the Sport Science and Sport Medicine team. 

  mdraper@rowingcanada.org

• Cayley Firth

  National Team Equipment Coordinator

  Cayley provides equipment inventory coordination and facility management support to the High Performance program at its training locations on Vancouver Island.

  cfirth@rowingcanada.org

• Laura Isherwood

  NextGen Program Assistant

  Laura provides coordination, logistics and administration support, and relationship management to the RCA NextGen program. She works closely with the High Performance team to establish and execute daily operations and implementation of targeted National Team NextGen programming.

  lisherwood@rowingcanada.org

• Chuck McDiarmid

  NextGen Program Lead Coach

  Chuck is responsible for the development and implementation of RCA’s NextGen strategy. Chuck works collaboratively with RCA’s Director of Coach and Athlete Pathways, corporate and government partners, member clubs and associations, and other RCA staff, to identify and support athletes with potential to represent Canada internationally.  

  cmcdiarmid@rowingcanada.org

• Stephen McMurray

  Member Services Administrator

  Stephen is responsible for providing administrative support for member services and sport development operations. Working closely with RCA staff, service providers and members of the rowing community, Stephen oversees and provides support for RCA’s event management and participant registration databases and procedures. Stephen also supports Sport Participation projects that help grow awareness and increase participation in rowing in Canada.

  smcmurray@rowingcanada.org

• Colleen Miller

  Manager of Coach Education and Development

  Colleen is responsible for the development and delivery of the NCCP coach education and certification programs and the implementation of RCA’s mentoring and professional development programs. Colleen works collaboratively with RCA’s Coach Education Development Committee (CEDC), Director of Partnerships and Sport Development, Director Coach and Athlete Pathways, High Performance Director, and the Provincial Rowing Associations (PRA’s).

  colleenmiller@rowingcanada.org

• Liz Montroy

  Communications and Events Coordinator

  Liz is responsible for supporting communications operations in addition to providing support for development initiatives and events. Working closely with the RCA Communications Lead, Liz coordinates content on the RCA digital platforms, supports the execution of press releases, and assists with the development of promotional materials and reports. Liz also supports the planning and delivery of events and campaigns.

  lmontroy@rowingcanada.org

• Sid Murdoch

  Secretary

  Sid’s duties include general office administration, web registration system administration including assisting participants and clubs with accounts, programs and reports. Members should contact Sid with general questions regarding insurance and insurance incidents. He also provides support to a number of committees including the Provincial Advisory Council and the RCA Board of Directors and he organizes the Annual and Semi-Annual Meetings.

  rca@rowingcanada.org

• Sukhraj Saraow

  Finance and Administration Coordinator

  Working closely with RCA staff, Sukhraj supports all bookkeeping functions of the organization including all areas of accounts payable and accounts receivable. Sukhraj also oversees all areas of RCA’s office administration including telephone inquiries, office supply procurement, incoming and outgoing deliveries, and RCA staff and volunteer board travel arrangements.

  ssaraow@rowingcanada.org

• Dick Tonks

  Head Men's Coach

  Dick has been involved in rowing since the age of 13, when he took up the sport under his father’s guidance at the Union Rowing Club in Wanganui, New Zealand. Dick was a silver medallist at the 1972 Munich Olympics at the age of 19 as stroke of New Zealand’s men’s four. He became head coach of the New Zealand team in 2000 after the Sydney Olympics. Dick is a record-holding five-time recipient of the New Zealand Halberg ‘Coach of the Year’ Award. He has also been awarded the World Rowing ‘Coach of the Year’ Award three times (2005, 2010, 2012). Dick is currently the only person to have won this award more than once.

• Michelle Darvill

  Senior National Team Women’s Program Assistant Coach

  Michelle has extensive experience coaching with the Canadian National Team, having served in assistant and lead coach roles with the Senior and NextGen Women’s Teams. As an NCCP certified Performance Coach, she has led numerous crews to podium finishes at the World Championships, World U23 Championships, and Pan American Games. Prior to coaching, Michelle represented both Canada and Germany internationally, winning World Championship medals for both countries, one gold and one silver for Canada, and two gold and one bronze for Germany.

• Jeremy Ivey

  Senior National Team Men's Program Assistant Coach

  Jeremy has coached extensively with both the Canadian and American national teams. Jeremy helped coach Canada’s men’s pair to a fourth place finish at the 2018 World Championships and in 2016, he coached the lightweight men’s quad to a fourth place finish at the World U23 Championships. Prior to joining RCA, Jeremy was an Assistant National Team Coach for USRowing, and coached the US women’s double to silver medals at the 2014 and 2015 World Cup II regattas. At the 2011 Pan American Games, he coached the American men’s pair to a gold medal, the women’s pair to a silver, and the lightweight women’s double to a bronze. Jeremy was born and raised in St. John’s, Newfoundland. He graduated from Smith College with a Master of Science in Exercise and Sports Studies and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine from Mercyhurst University.

• Phil Marshall

  Senior National Team Women's Program Assistant Coach

  Phil has extensive experience coaching with the Canadian National Team. He helped lead Canada’s women’s eight to a silver medal at the 2018 World Championships and coached the Olympic heavyweight women’s team in Rio. Phil also worked as Head Coach for the Canadian U23 men’s lightweight program from 2013 to 2015. He has played an integral role in fostering a high performance daily training environment for NextGen athletes. Phil has over 30 years of experience in high performance rowing, including time spent as Head Coach of the Varsity Rowing Team at Queen’s University.

• Terry Paul

  Senior National Team Men's Program Assistant Coach

  Terry has coached extensively with both the Canadian and Swiss national teams. He coached Canada’s men’s quad to 2016 Olympic qualification and has coached Canadian crews to gold (M4+ in 2014, M4x in 2015) and bronze (M4- in 2015) medals at the World U23 Championships. In 2008, Terry coached the Canadian men’s pair to a silver medal at the Beijing Olympic Games. Terry competed for Canada as a coxswain in the men’s eight, winning a gold medal at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics.

• Lesley Thompson-Willie

  Senior National Team Women’s Program Assistant Coach

  Lesley helped lead Canada’s U23 women’s eight to back-to-back World Championship gold in 2017 and 2018. An NCCP certified Performance Coach, Lesley has coached numerous Canadian crews to international podium success since 2004. In addition, Lesley was a long-time member of the National Team, having won multiple medals at the Olympics (one gold, three silver, one bronze) and World Championships (one gold, four silver, five bronze) as a coxswain since 1979.

• John Wetzstein

  National Para Rowing Team Coach

  John has led Canada’s Para rowing program since October 2015. At the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, he coached the PR3 Mix4+ to a bronze, Canada’s first ever medal in Para rowing. Prior to joining the RCA team, John’s coaching experiences included serving as the provincial head coach in his home province of Saskatchewan, assisting with programs at the St. Catharines Rowing Club, Brock University and Washington University, and serving as a junior head coach for the St. Louis Rowing Club.

• Carol Love

  NextGen Coach – HUB Lead Coach

  Carol is responsible for providing direction, mentorship and oversight to NextGen coaches in their HUB relationships, as well as facilitating talent identification and NextGen athlete and coaching support. Carol provides leadership in support integration and engagement with the Canadian Sport Institute and Provincial Sport Organizations. On a daily basis, she provides on water coaching support within the Peterborough/Trent University HUB.

• Jordan Clarke

  NextGen SSSM Lead – Rowing

  Jordan is responsible for coordinating sport science and medicine support through the NextGen Hub Strategy in alignment with the best practices of the Senior National Team. Working closely with the Director, Coach and Athlete Pathways, NextGen Program Lead, and NextGen HUB Coaches, Jordan works to provide support to NextGen rowers throughout the Athlete Development Pathway.

• Sam Heron

  NextGen Coach – UVIC HUB

  Sam is a University of Victoria (UVIC) HUB NextGen coach and is responsible for the implementation and execution of talent identification and talent development systems within the Victoria NextGen stream. Sam works with junior, university and club programs on Vancouver Island to develop rowers aspiring to make the National Team.

• Maksym Kepskyy

  NextGen Coach – UBC HUB

  Maksym is RCA’s University of British Columbia (UBC) HUB NextGen Coach. He works closely with UBC and club coaches to create a coaching environment dedicated to developing athletes to reach a level of excellence. Maksym earned a Master of Science in Sport Biomechanics from the National University of Physical Education and Sport of Ukraine. In addition, Maksym has a Master in Sport Physiology and Coaching Science from UBC and a rowing coach degree from the National University of Physical Education and Sport of Ukraine.

• Dane Lawson

  NextGen Coach – Western HUB

  Dane is responsible for the oversight of the Western HUB as part of the RCA NextGen Development Strategy, which involves assisting in identification, intake, and development of athletes working towards the National Team. His main focus is enhanced training for identified athletes through additional training volumes, competitive environments, and coordination of services in the areas of nutrition, biomechanics, sports psychology, and strength and conditioning.

• Greg Szybka

  NextGen Coach – Brock Niagara HUB

  As the NextGen Coach for the Brock Niagara HUB, Greg is responsible for talent identification and the development of athletes aspiring to compete for the Canadian National Team. Greg’s past coaching experiences include working with athletes at Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School, St. Catharines Rowing Club, Brock University, Ottawa Rowing Club, and St. George’s School. He served as a Team BC Coach at the 2017 Canada Summer Games and is a former Brock University rower.