TORONTO –AthletesCAN, the association of Canada’s national team athletes, is proud to announce the appointment of rowing Olympian Andrea Proske as Vice President and the newly-elected Chris de Sousa Costa as Treasurer of its Board of Directors.
Proske replaces Bo Hedges (Wheelchair Basketball), who was appointed as Secretary for the 2022-23 Executive, after serving as Vice President for the past two years, while de Sousa Costa takes over for Rob Law (Lawn Bowls). Erin Willson (Artistic Swimming) will continue to lead the organization as AthletesCAN President for a second consecutive year.
“We are thrilled to welcome Chris and Andrea to our Executive team, while continuing to work with Bo in a new capacity in his sixth year on the Board. All three of them posses a unique skillset and passion in advocating for national team athletes and we look forward to the leadership they will bring to help create meaningful change within the Canadian sport system at this critical time.”
A two-time Rowing World Cup medalist, Proske won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the women’s eight – Canada’s first in this event since 1996. Off the water, Proske served as Rowing Canada’s Athlete Representative, leading a successful $37,000 food card fundraising campaign on behalf of her peers, and was a vocal advocate for the launch of a High Performance Culture Review. Since joining the AthletesCAN Board in November 2021, Proske has chaired the AthletesCAN Membership Committee, overseeing the successful transition to a one-time registration via the new AthletesCAN.ca website, and led strategic initiatives aimed at raising the organization’s awareness profile among its 6,000-plus prospective members. Additionally, Proske is an international coach, serving as Program Director for Team Bahamas Rowing in 2022.
“I am excited to have the privilege and responsibility of amplifying the voices of my peers in my new role as Vice President of AthletesCAN. This past year, I saw my own experiences echoed in the countless heartbreaking stories of abuse, poor governance, and maltreatment shared by athletes across Canada. 2023 must be a year of action, as we work towards meaningful change and athlete-centred policies.”
A three-time Commonwealth champion, de Sousa Costa retired after serving as team captain at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. Off the mat, he spent three years at the world’s largest publicly-traded property and casualty insurance carrier, providing risk transfer solutions for private entities and non-profit organizations and focusing on analyzing financial and operations management exposure. He is also the CEO of the Queen’s University Alternative Assets Fund, Canada’s first student-directed portfolio of alternative strategies, which holds over $600,000 in assets under management. In this role, de Sousa Costa oversees five business verticals and works closely with the Chief Investment Officer to ensure the fund yields superior risk-adjusted returns in any market environment.
“I am incredibly honoured to be appointed Treasurer of AthletesCAN. From attending my first AthletesCAN Forum in 2009 as an Athlete Representative to now being part of the Executive, I have the privilege of collaborating alongside my fellow Officers and Board Members to have a direct positive impact on bringing the athlete voice to the forefront of the Canadian sport system. I look forward to not only ensuring the fiduciary duties of AthletesCAN are upheld as Treasurer, but to also enhance the athlete experience through the various initiatives being engaged in by the organization.”
In addition to the new Executive, Law was also re-appointed to the Board as its 10th member. AthletesCAN bylaws allow for the appointment of one additional Director for every three new Board members elected at the Annual General Meeting.
The Executive election follows the announcement of the 2022-23 Board of Directors in November. For full biographies of the 2022-23 AthletesCAN Board of Directors, click here.
About AthletesCAN
AthletesCAN, the association of Canada’s national team athletes, is the only fully independent and most inclusive athlete organization in the country and the first organization of its kind in the world. As the voice of Canadian national team athletes, AthletesCAN ensures an athlete-centered sport system by developing athlete leaders who influence sport policy and, as role models, inspire a strong sport culture. Follow us on social @AthletesCAN and Join #TheCollective today.
For more information, please contact:
Alan Hudes
Manager, Communications and Sport Partnerships
AthletesCAN
613-526-4025 Ext. 224
[email protected]