Meet the Speakers from 2022

Whitney was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta where she grew up playing ice hockey. She went on to play for the University of Saskatchewan and Team Alberta’s Sr. Women’s Team in 2005 (2005). Currently she lives in Vancouver, BC and is a HP1 coaching certified coach, a Hockey Canada Skills Instructor, a Female Master Coach Developer and a Lead Skills Instructor for BC Hockey.

Currently, I am the technical lead at North Shore Girls Soccer, overseeing the development of players from U9 - U12. I also work with and mentor the coaches with those teams. I am the head coach for the 2010-born girls at North Vancouver Soccer Club, who will be playing in the BC Soccer Premier League. I am also the assistant coach for the women’s soccer program at Douglas College. Recently, I’ve been asked to be the assistant coach for a regional team competing in the BC Summer Games in Prince George.

Georgette Reed has had a keen interest in Sport, Fitness, Health and Wellness all of her life. A certified track and field and strength and conditioning coach, with 47 years of competitive experience under her belt in the sports of athletics, bobsleigh, swimming and water polo. Georgette now puts all of the knowledge and expertise to good use as the Director of Athletics and Recreation at Capilano University, after spending ten years as the Health and Wellness Coordinator for Edmonton Fire Rescue Services and Mental Health First Aid, Psychological First Aid and R2MR (first responder) instructor for the City of Edmonton.

I am Sarah Freeman, the CEO of Sarah Freeman Coaching. I am on a mission to create a ripple effect in the world, something bigger than myself. I desire to continue to share my wisdom with women that are ready to step into their next level of confidence.

Lee Anna Osei , MA, is Ghanaian Canadian professional basketball coach, a former standout NCAA and U Sport basketball athlete, and a champion for diversity, equity and inclusion in the Canadian sport sector.

Amy has a Master’s Degree in Education with a focus in Coaching Studies. Her focus during this degree was on athlete transition and how best to support athletes in the often difficult transition into post-sport life. As a part of her degree, Amy created athletetransitions.ca which is a website filled with resources to help athletes, coaches, organizations, and families address the challenges of the transition into retirement.

Anita currently holds a Canada Research Chair in Cardiovascular Adaptation to Exercise and Assistant Professor in the School of Human Kinetics (TWU). She also holds appointments as an Affiliate Investigator in the Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia (UBC), and BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (Vancouver). Anita’s research investigates sex differences in the cardiovascular response to exercise, as well as how exercise early in life contributes to women’s heart health as they age.

Shannon is currently the Head Coach of the Senior Women’s National Canadian Volleyball Team, a position she has held since December 2020. Prior to that she served as an Assistant Coach with the Senior National Team and the Head Coach of the Next Gen. Team.

Shannon is originally from British Columbia and currently resides in Richmond. Previously she served as Volleyball Australia’s Women’s National Team head coach and the Volleyball Australia Centre of Excellence’s head coach, She was named Volleyball Australia’s National Coach of the Year for 2016-7. During her time in Australia, she also served as an assistant national team coach, and as the women’s U23 team coach. She also coached at Melbourne University and various elite teams and clubs.

Chrissy is a gender & workplace equity consultant providing organizations with an end-to-end strategic framework to eliminate discrimination and racism. "Allyship in Action" training facilitator. She currently holds the position of Director, Operations & Western Canada Office Director with the Canadian Congress on Inclusive Diversity & Workplace Equity and she is an Advisor with the Vancouver Basketball Foundation.

Previously Chrissy held positions with the Vancouver Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games, UBC Athletics, NORCECA Volleyball Confederations and Volleyball Canada. As an Athlete, Chrissy was a Varsity Athlete competing in Basketball.