Anna completed a Master of Science from the University of Calgary under the supervision of Dr. David Smith. The focus of her thesis was on investigating maximal strength training for endurance athletes. She joined the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary in 2011 as a strength and physiology consultant. She worked in talent identification and strength and conditioning for Ski Jumping and as Lead, strength coach for Nordic (Biathlon, Cross-Country and Para-Nordic) national and development team athletes. After becoming a mom in 2017, Anna continued working with Para Nordic athletes and became strength and conditioning lead for Skate Canada. She worked very closely with Ravi Walia, Patrick Chan and Kaetlyn Osmond in the lead up to the 2018 Olympic Games. Anna focuses on building basic movement competencies and optimizing movement strategies to improve structural tolerance and develop strength and power in endurance and aesthetic sports. She also teaches the strength and conditioning component to the Advanced Coaching Diploma and is the lead anthropometrist for the Institute. Anna is a mother of 2, lover of all the sports and eater of all the foods.

(he/him) Baldé was a member of the Canadian figure skating team from 2007 to 2018 and was the 2008 Canadian Junior Champion. He retired as a competitor in 2018. Baldé is founder of Skate Global, and co-founder and President of the Figure Skating Diversity & Inclusion Alliance (FSDIA).

Ted is the Executive Director for skating in British Columbia. Ted has an extensive background and experience in event and video production, and live streaming, he assists both Skate Canada and the International Skating Union is these areas. Ted Barton is also a former ISU Singles and Pair Technical Specialist, as well as an ISU Data and Replay Operator.

(she/her) Alyson Charles is a 22-year-old Canadian short track speed skater, and member of the National Team since 2016. Originally from Montreal, QC, she made her World Cup debut in November 2018, right after her 20th birthday. Charles currently trains with the National Training Center and is based in Montreal, QC.

(he/him) Jesse Cockney is an Inuit cross-country skier who competed for Canada at both the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics.

Cockney was born in 1989 in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and started skiing when he was 3 years old. Skiing was an integral part of his family’s life. His father skied on the national junior team and won 2 Canada Games gold medals. His sister has also skied and won national competitions. When Cockney was 7, his family moved to Canmore, Alberta, where he was able to get involved in competitive cross-country skiing.

(she/her) Nina Condo is the owner and founder of NC Consulting. She has been involved in community development for 15 +years. Her education background in mental health and social work enables her to integrate both health and social practices, apply a gender equity lens as social change, cultural safety for successful integration, and best practices in working with diverse populations that leads to transformational change. She serves on various local non-for-profit organization boards as well as on the national gender- based violence strategy, representing the Canadian Immigrant Settlement Sector Alliance (CISSA) & MANSO- an initiative of the Immigration Refugee Citizenship Canada (IRCC). She is a board member of Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations (MANSO), the Immigration Partnership Winnipeg (IPW), and various local committees. Nina’s life experience both in Canada and in Africa has inspired her to work with people of all walks of life to build stronger communities. Her passion for community development, advocacy and empowering Individuals and families have allowed her to mentor organizations and to work closely with diverse communities through policy recommendations, clinical consultation, program development and facilitation.

A NCCP Level 5 coach with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from the University of Montreal, Yvan Desjardins is also a Chartered Professional Coach with the Coaching Association of Canada. A member of the Quebec team, the national junior and senior teams, Yvan is a two-time national medalist.

With having participated in several international competitions including two Junior World Championships, Yvan
has coached many skaters on the national and international scene. Recipient of the award of excellence from Patinage Québec and Skate Canada as a competitive coach in 2016, he currently has 27 years of experience. Always looking at opportunities to exceed himself, Yvan manages
l’École Excellence with passion, determination, and vigor. This allows the athletes he meets to develop as a skater and a human being.

Lisa Dixon–Wells has been working in school systems across Canada since 1990. After completing her M.Ed in Educational Psychology (1997), Lisa’s focus has been on Bully Prevention and Mental Health. As the founder of the Dare to Care program, her work has focused on early prevention and intervention in schools but in 2017, Dare to Care expanded to work with Canadian amateur sports and in 2020 reached there 1,000,000th participant. In 2016, Dare to Care received the Government of Alberta Inspiration Award for Leadership in Bully Prevention. 

 Lisa is a former member of the Canadian National Swim Club and is a 14 time World Masters champion.  Lisa was inducted into the University of Calgary’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.  

Meagan is a 3X Olympic Medalist, 7X Canadian Pairs Champion and 2X World Champion in Pairs Skating. In 2010 she completed her first certification with the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and became a Holistic Nutritionist. Although she didn’t work in the field as she was still competing at the International level, she continued to study with Alive Academy and got another certification in Vegetarian Sports Nutrition. Meagan has mentored numerous Canadian and International Skaters on wellness. She has a passion for helping figure skaters understand the importance of healthy nutrition and teaching and guiding them for their off-ice training, focusing on mindful movement and strengthening, and avoiding unnecessary pounding on the body.

Georgia is a PhD student at the University of Calgary. She is currently working with Skate Canada to assist in the creating of the Body Positive Guidelines as part of her doctoral research program. With a past in figure skating, she feels privileged to work alongside Skate Canada to help foster an environment that promotes positive body image for everyone.

Georgia also works as a mental performance consultant for a boxing gym in Calgary while completing her necessary training hours to be certified with the Canadian Sport Psychology Association.

When not researching, Georgia can be found skiing, hiking, or spending time with her newly adopted dog Spot.

2021 Ice Summit Host

Judy Goss, PhD is a Mental Performance Consultant, who works with National and Olympic Team members in Ontario including athletes from Skate Canada, Wrestling Canada, Volleyball Canada, Swim Ontario and Freestyle Ontario.  Judy received her PhD in Sport Psychology from the University of Maryland and is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant by the Association of Applied Sport Psychology.  

Judy has worked with Skate Canada since 2006.  Her work with athletes and coaches focuses on performance enhancement, performing under pressure and building resiliency. She takes an educational approach so that athletes and coaches understand the theoretical concepts as well as developing the skills and strategies to integrate into their daily training and competitive experiences. 

Brian founded PBHE over 20 years ago and is the inventor behind many of the unique tools now used around the world by figure skating technicians who want to provide accurate, consistent services to their clients. Brian is a fitter machinist by trade and has brought necessary technical knowledge into the world of figure skating to increase equipment awareness and expectations. As a result of his expert insight and determination to move the sport forward, he has worked with world class skaters, coaches, skating federations, and manufacturers to resolve equipment issues, test new products, improve quality control, and share his knowledge and methods.

Dr. Gretchen Kerr is  a world-renowned kinesiology and physical education scholar and expert on the treatment of youth and women in sport. She is currently vice-dean, programs and innovation at University of Toronto School of Graduate studies and has been named dean of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE). 

Dr. Kerr’s research on the treatment of women and youth in sport is widely acknowledged to have had a tangible and lasting impact on Canada’s sports landscape, particularly through her collaborations with organizations such as the Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Canadian Centre for Ethics and Sport and the Coaching Association of Canada. 

Karyn Kibsey is the Manager of Training and Education for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. The Canadian Centre’s goal is to reduce the incidence of missing and sexually exploited children by providing programs and services to Canadians. It operates Cybertip.ca – Canada’s tipline to report the online sexual exploitation of children. Karyn works with professionals in sport, education, child serving-organizations, and child protection to provide insights into issues of child sexual abuse and exploitation, misconduct, policies and procedures to protect children, emerging issues and trends impacting youth, and the online safety of children. 

Nicole is a member of Skate Canada’s Board of Directors, Membership Policy Committee, Sections Coordinating Committee, and chair of the Officials Assignment and Promotion Committee. Nicole is also an active official with qualifications as an ISU Judge in Singles, Pairs and Dance, and an International Referee in Singles, Pairs, and Ice Dance.

Mary Ellen McDonald, Senior Director Operations, has been with Skate Canada for 3 years and is trained as a CPA CA. She has considerable experience in finance, IT, procurement and mergers & acquisitions. Prior to joining Skate Canada she worked in various industries and completed national and international company acquisitions in both the manufacturing and airport environment. She served on the Skate Canada Board of Directors for six years and was the Chair FERM and Membership Policy Committee. Prior to serving on the national board she was active at the Skate Canada Manitoba Section level. Mary Ellen is on the Board of Directors for H.O.P.E. Ottawa serving as the Vice President.

Paulette grew up as a competitive figure skater and skated internationally as a professional skater after completing her Masters of Engineering at the University of Toronto. Paulette is now a Professional Engineer and is grateful to be able to combine her passions at PBHE. She provides a unique technical point of view while understanding the skating skills and techniques. Paulette has been with PBHE for over 10 years and has been a vital part of developing, testing, manufacturing, and presenting PBHE’s tools, methods, and knowledge.

Ye-Bin Mok is an American Skater who now lives, performs, and coaches in the UK. Ye-Bin won medals on the Junior Grand Prix and finished 5th at the 2003 Junior World Championships. She finished as high as 6th at the US Championships before retiring due to injuries and personal struggles. She performed with Holiday on Ice for many years before settling in the UK and coaching in Sheffield. Ye-Bin skated this winter on ITV’s Dancing On Ice and like so many of us, has been coaching through zoom for the past year. Ye-Bin has a passion for ballet, music, and movement.

NCCP World/Olympic Coach 
Over the course of Brian’s skating career, he earned many medals and titles including two-time Olympic silver medalist, eight-time Canadian Champion, 1987 World Champion, first man to land a triple axel at an Olympic Games and an Emmy award for his role in Carmen on Ice. As a coach, Brian is leading a very successful career with having athletes on podiums at various domestic and international competitions. Coach of 2010 Olympic champion, Yuna Kim, 2014 and 2018 Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu, and 2018 Olympic bronze medalist, Javier Fernández, Brian is also a principal Skating Director at the Toronto Cricket Skating Club and officer of the Order of Canada.

Jeff Partrick has been with Skate Canada for over 21 years and involved in the sport for over 44 years. Jeff has led the professionalization of coaching, the creation and implementation of long-term athlete development philosophies into Skate Canada programming, has been focused on driving Skate Canada’s Skate for Life strategy and is currently involved with developing Skate Canada’s 2022-2026 strategic plan. Jeff also leads the project management team for planning the Ice Summit.

Jeff has been a national and international level skater, coach, volunteer official, and a member of Skate Canada’s National Board of Directors as an Athlete Representative and as an Elected Director. He has an MBA from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Arts from Brandon University.

Kelly completed a Bachelor of Human Kinetics (Co-op) from the University of Windsor and a Master of Kinesiology from the University of Calgary. She joined the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary in 2003 as an Exercise Physiology Technician, supporting national team athletes through monitoring, testing and physiological interventions in both training and competition. As the lead of Exercise Physiology, Kelly provides technical support to staff and is responsible for quality assurance of all data collection, and advancement and development of physiological protocols for athlete testing and monitoring. Her role also requires her to liaise with the Research and Innovation Lead and Directors on research conducted in the laboratory and the training environment.

Kelly is also the sport physiology advisor for Skate Canada where she works to elevate the sport science of the sport. Leading up to the 2018 Olympic Games, she worked very closely with Ravi Walia, Patrick Chan, and Kaetlyn Osmond. In her spare time, Kelly is usually found at the rink, cheering for her two sons, playing hockey herself or coaching power skating. She is also an instructor/examiner for the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology (CSEP). Kelly is the CSI Calgary’s resident baker for the staff.

President/Designer of Spinergy

Kim has been coaching in the Pacific Northwest and internationally for over 40 years.  Specializing in all levels of spins and spin board technique. She is a favorite presenter with iCoachSkating.com

I was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As an athlete I competed at Canadians 7 times (Novice-Senior) before turning professional and skating on cruise ships for seven years. I began coaching in Medicine Hat, AB in 2009 with my wife Vicki Schultz (Bryan) where I served as the Skating Director of Cypress School of Skating. In 2015 we moved our family to Regina where I accepted the position of High Performance Director (Technical Director) for Skate Canada Saskatchewan. I have been a part of the National Pairs Initiative (NPI) and the National Mentorship Program (NMP) and currently sit on the Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC) as well as the Membership Policy Committee (MPC) of Skate Canada. Vicki and I have a daughter who is a competitive skater and a son who plays high level hockey and figure skates for fun.

(she/her) Salimata Soro is the Director of Human Resources, Employability and Immigration at the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (CDEM). Originally from the Ivory Coast, Salimata immigrated to Manitoba 10 years ago. She has over 7 years of experience in workshop development on diversity and conflict resolution. She has also created several employability programs for various sectors. She has an MBA with a specialization in Human Resources/Leadership, as well as diplomas in conflict resolution, career management & development. Salimata further holds a diploma in immigration consulting, is engaged in the Francophone community, and sits on numerous committees and working groups. Salimata is one of the collaborators working with NC Consulting.

Professional in strategic communications and reputation management, Fanny-Ève Tapp has been an official for over 15 years. She is a Canadian level singles judge and a pair judge challenge level, a singles and pairs section level referee, and a technical controller and technical specialist in singles at the section level. She is also a training facilitator and mentor for the next generation of officials. Over the years, she has been involved in various events and development committees, both at Patinage Québec and Skate Canada. This year, she is completing her third term on the Board of Directors of Patinage Québec. Committed to promoting her sport, she has also been a figure skating analyst for competition broadcasts on RDS.

President/Designer of Champion Harnesses/Electric Spinners/Cords & Seminars, specializing in vestibular rotation. Sheila has been coaching
for over 30 years and is a PSA Master Rated Coach & Award Winning Coach with iCoachSkating.com. She also presented at several international seminars worldwide.

Quebec team member for 6 years and member of the Skate Canada Junior National Pair team, Stéphanie has participated in several international competitions during her career.

With a bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences, she has now passed on her passion for skating at all levels for almost 17 years. A certified NCCP National Coach, Stéphanie specializes in teaching pairs skating. Last spring, as the pandemic struck, she worked closely with the ISU and developed a unique off-ice Keep Training Seminar specifically for pair skating development. Stéphanie has been instrumental on the National Coaches’ Committee, and several project groups including the LTD 3.0 refresh and NCCP Provincial Coach. Stéphanie is committed to the development and growing interest of pair skating across Canada.