The province has announced a new board of directors for its Alberta Sport Connection agency and Edmonton Oilers defenceman Andrew Ference will serve as chair.
Olympic gold medallist Erica Weibe will also sit on the board, along with Olympic silver medallist Helen Upperton, Paralympian Antonio Flores, indigenous sport advocate Kody Taylor and 2006 Alberta Sports Hall of Fame inductee Kelly Blackshaw, who is a returning board member.
Ference, who is currently on the Oilers’ injured reserve list, said he was honoured to be chair.
“Sport has been an important part of my life and I’ve seen how it benefits individuals and strengthens communities,” he said.
“I am excited to work with my board colleagues, government and our sport sector partners to support Alberta’s athletes and promote sport in the province.”
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For eight of the 10 board members, this will be their first year with Alberta Sport Connection, which is the government’s agency responsible for promoting and developing sport in the province from the grassroots to the elite level.
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For a full list of the board members, click here.
The government posted the board vacancies on its website in September and screened and interviewed 38 candidates.
“We have heard loud and clear from Albertans that they want their agencies, boards and commissions to better reflect our growing and diverse province,” Premier Rachel Notley said. “So that’s exactly what we are doing, because when boards are reflective of the communities they serve, they serve those communities better.”
All 10 board members will serve for at least three years. Four members will serve until 2021.