Lolly Gillen Elected New President of Squash Canada by Danny Da Costa June 21, 2013 OTTAWA (ON)
– Lolly Gillen was elected as the new president of Squash Canada at the
annual general meeting in Ottawa this past weekend. Ms. Gillen takes
over from current president Bob Wyma and begins her two year term as
the head of Squash Canada’s board of directors.
Ms. Gillen, who served in the role of Vice President Operations during
the previous board of director’s cycle, will be joined by the newly
elected John Roche (VP Operations) and Gene Turk (VP High Performance)
and incumbent members Ann-Marie Reinson (VP Finance), Gerry Poulton (VP
Player Development), and Graham Waters (VP Techincal).
Ms. Gillen has been a highly involved member of the squash community
for over 30 years, in both a playing and an administrative capacity. A
highly accomplished doubles player, Ms. Gillen has won over 40 doubles
titles in her career, including 21 Canadian Championships, 15 Ontario
Titles, and 6 International Titles. Ms. Gillen was a member of
the Squash Ontario board of directors for 7 years, first as VP
marketing, and then as President, and in that time built strong
partnerships, streamlined the governance plan, and helped create the
National Junior Advisory Council. In 2009, Ms. Gillen moved on to the
Squash Canada Board of Directors, serving as VP Operations; here she
created the Recognition Awards Program, a system through which the
provinces and territories can distinguish those people and
organizations that have made a truly meaningful difference in squash.
Ms. Gillen has also strived to grow strong partnerships with different
levels of government and corporate organizations, creating a foundation
of support for Squash Canada to build from.
John Roche is returning to Squash Canada’s Board of Directors, having
previously served as VP Finance in 2010/2011. Mr. Roche is taking over
for Ms. Gillen as VP Operations. Like Ms. Gillen, Mr. Roche also served
as a provincial squash association president, heading Squash BC for 4
years, and in that time, worked with Ms. Gillen in creating the
National Junior Advisory Council. Mr. Roche is a certified National
Squash Referee and has officiated at many of Canada’s most prestigious
squash events.
As incoming VP High Performance, Gene Turk will be holding a Squash
Canada board position for the first time. A prolific squash
player and coach, Mr. Turk has been a member of the squash community
for nearly 40 years. Mr. Turk represented Canada both on the Junior
National Team (1979), and the Senior National Team (1987 – 1992). Mr.
Turk’s coaching achievements may be even more impressive than his
playing accomplishments. The Senior National Team Coach from 1991
through 2007, Mr. Turk was at the helm for the Golden Era of Canadian
Men’s Squash, including Canada’s best ever performance at the Men’s
World Team Championships, 2nd place in 1997. Mr. Turk has the
distinction of being both a player and the coach on Canada’s 1991
senior team. Mr. Turk also served as Canada’s Pan-Am Games and
Commonwealth Games coach and organized the first ever Pan American
National Coaching Conference. Mr. Turk will be charged with helping
build the selection policies that allow Canada to put the best team
forward for competition on the international stage.
