News Release

FREDERICTON (CNB) - Members of the mission staff who will accompany New Brunswick athletes, coaches, managers and artists to the 2009 Canada Summer Games were announced today by Wellness, Culture and Sport Minister Hédard Albert.

The mission staff will provide administrative support for the more than 300 members of Team NB before and during the national multi-sport event that takes place in Prince Edward Island from Aug. 15 - 29, 2009.

"These individuals have been chosen to be leaders of our young athletes because of their outstanding organizational and leadership skills, and their active involvement in our sport community," Albert said. "They have demonstrated a strong commitment to helping our young athletes excel in sport, and I'm extremely impressed with the level of experience and expertise of this mission staff, and by the overall quality of the applications we received."

Members of the mission staff will work under the leadership of Team NB's chef de mission, Jennifer Bent-Richard, and the assistant chef de mission, Steve Harris.

Team NB mission staff members are as follows:

Marc Arseneau

Arseneau lives in Petit Rocher and is employed as a community school co-ordinator with École Secondaire Nepisiquit in Bathurst. He has extensive volunteer experience with les Jeux de l'Acadie and Jeux de la francophonie canadienne. Arseneau was a sport co-ordinator with the 2003 Bathurst-Campbellton Canada Winter Games Host Society. He is an avid soccer and hockey official. This will be Arseneau's first mission staff role and his function will be as a sSport Liaison.

Jacques Bertrand

Bertrand, of Moncton, will serve as Team NB's medical liaison. He has worked as a nurse for the Correctional Service of Canada for the past 25 years. He has a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and expertise in the area of sport injury. He has been an athlete, coach and administrator in a number of sports, has travelled extensively internationally, and has four adult children who were also quite active in sports. This is Bertrand's first mission staff experience with Team NB.

Jason Dickson

Dickson was an athlete on the baseball team at the 1993 Canada Summer Games in Kamloops, BC. He is currently employed as the executive director of Baseball NB after a professional career as a Major League Baseball player, which included being a member of Team Canada at the 2004 Olympic Games. Dickson is from the Miramichi and currently resides in Fredericton. He will serve as a sport liaison as part of the Team NB mission staff.

Stephane Hachey

Hachey is a veteran Canada Games mission staff member returning for his third set of Games in the area of office liaison. He has also been to the Canada Games as a manager, and was a senior staff member for the 2003 Bathurst-Campbellton Canada Winter Games. He resides in Bathurst and is a vice-principal at École Secondaire Nepisiquit. Hachey is the volunteer president of the Jeux de L'Acadie. Bejing 2008 will be his fourth Olympic Games as a member of the mission staff with the Canadian Olympic Team.

Monica Hitchcock

Hitchcock was a member of the Team NB female volleyball squad at the 1975 Canada Games and served as a member of the mission staff at the 2007 Winter Games in Whitehorse. She is a former national team member and captain of the Canadian volleyball team, where she represented Canada at the 1984 Olympic Games and numerous international competitions. She is employed by Valley Graphics and resides in Grand Bay-Westfield. Hitchcock returns to Team NB mission staff as a sport iaison.

Normand Leger

Leger is a veteran Games mission staff member. He will serve as the Team NB media specialist in Prince Edward Island. This will mark Leger's eighth Games as a member of the Team NB mission staff. In addition, he has five other Canada Games experiences - as an employee in 1969, a journalist in 1977, 1979, and 1981, and as manager of the media centre for the 1985 Summer Games in Saint John. Leger has held the role of chef de mission for Team NB at the 1994 and 1997 Jeux de la francophonie, and is involved as a volunteer with the CIS Men's Hockey Championships that were hosted by the Université de Moncton in 2007 and 2008. Leger resides in Dieppe, where he works as a communications director with the city.

Greg MacDonald

MacDonald served on the Team NB mission staff in 2007, was a manager for the ringette team in 2003, and an athlete in volleyball at the 1975 Games hosted in Nova Scotia. He has been a multi-sport athlete at the provincial and national levels and currently enjoys golf and participating in marathons. MacDonald has worked as a psychologist for more than 30 years and is currently employed with the Department of Health. He resides in Miramichi and will serve as a sport liaison at the Games.

Bruce Macfarlane

Macfarlane will be the newsletter editor for Team NB at the 2009 Canada Summer Games. His previous Games experience includes covering the 2001 London Canada Games and the 2003 Bathurst-Campbellton Winter Games as a news reporter. MacFarlane is an acting managing director with Communications New Brunswick, handles communications for the Regional Development Corporation, and has extensive experience as a reporter and photographer with print media in New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec. He resides in Fredericton, where he has recently become an avid runner who competes in road races in pursuit of a healthier lifestyle.

Jane Marshall

Marshall has been involved in various capacities with six Canada Games. This is her first time back on the mission staff since 1999. She has also served as a coach in 1991, 1995 and 2007, and a manager in 2001, as well as by providing technical support to the 2003 Host Society. Marshall will serve as a Sport Liaison for Team NB in 2009. She is a long-time athlete, coach, manager and administrator in the sports of ringette and field hockey. Marshall resides in Miramichi and has a diversified working background as a corrections officer, parole officer and teacher.

Don McKay

This is McKay's first time back to the mission staff after having served in 1993 and 1997. He is a vice-principal at Bathurst High School, and has been involved with numerous sports as an athlete and coach for most of his life. In particular, McKay has coached the sports of basketball and volleyball for more than 30 years. He was the volunteer vice-president for sport for the 2003 Bathurst-Campbellton Canada Winter Games, and will serve as a sport liaison for Team NB in Prince Edward Island. McKay resides in Bathurst where he remains heavily involved in community organizations and activities.

Carlo Roy

Roy is a resident of Dalhousie where he is very involved in regional sport activities and organizations. He has been the assistant chef de mission for the Restigouche Region at six editions of les Jeux de l'Acadie and has served on several Jeux de l'Acadie committees. Roy volunteered as an assistant vice-president for the 2003 Bathurst-Campbellton Games and also as the acting chairperson of the New Brunswick Youth Council. He is employed as a resource centre co-ordinator and will be a sport liaison at this, his first experience with a Team NB mission.

Dave Thomas

Thomas has participated in four Canada Games when living in Newfoundland and Labrador, and will serve as a sport liaison on the mission for the first time with Team NB in 2009. Thomas has Commonwealth Games and World Championship experience in the sport of athletics. He is currently the technical director for Athletics NB and a former volunteer president with Recreation NB. Thomas resides in Quispamsis.

Appointed positions round out the Mission Staff and include:

Ryan Hamilton

Hamilton worked with Team NB leading up to the 2007 Canada Winter Games in Yukon as a Sport Psychology Consultant. Team NB is thrilled to have the services of mental training support at the Games for the first time by having Hamilton involved in this capacity as part of the mission staff. He is currently completing his PhD in Sport Psychology at the University of New Brunswick where he also received a masters degree in Sport Science. Hamilton has helped athletes achieve national and international excellence and looks forward to assisting Team NB in achieving outstanding results.

Kevin Lunn

Lunn works as a web producer for Communications New Brunswick and has served as the Team NB Webmaster for the 2003, 2005 and 2007 Canada Games. Lunn has volunteered extensively with the sport of baseball, particularly as coach and general manager of the Fredericton Royals. He has been a board member of the Fredericton Rowing Club, the Small Craft Aquatic Centre and Sport NB. He enjoys competitive rowing.

Nicole Smith

Smith is the executive director for Sport NB. This will be her fourth Canada Games. She was a member of the mission staff in 2005 and 2007 and a manager for alpine ski at the 2003 Games. Smith will be Team New Brunswick's special events co-ordinator, and will co-ordinate the Anti-Doping Education Program as well as the Families and Supporters Committee.

Lise Belliveau, Jean-Luc Benoit, Kelcy Kuhn and Jeff LeBlanc, all employed by the Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport, each bring a diverse and experienced background to Team NB.

Lise Belliveau is a co-ordinator with the Regional Operations and Community Development Branch. She has been an athlete, coach and volunteer, particularly in the sports of soccer and volleyball, and is involved as a volunteer with several local events and committees. This will be her first Games as a member of the Team NB mission staff.

Jean-Luc Benoit is a consultant with the Sport and Recreation Branch. He served as the assistant director of the Societe des Jeux de l'Acadie for seven years, and as assistant volunteer vice-president of ceremonies, protocol and culture for the 2003 Canada Winter Games. Benoit was a member of the 2005 and 2007 Team NB mission staff.

Kelcy Kuhn is a consultant with the Regional Operations and Community Development Branch in the Western Valley. She is involved extensively with organizations such as the Western Valley Recreation Association, Recreation NB, Big Brothers and Sisters, PRO Kids, and is a learning facilitator for the new National Coaching Certification Program. Kuhn was a member of the Team NB mission staff at the 2003 Games.

Jeff LeBlanc is a consultant with the Sport and Recreation Branch and a former recreation director for the Village of Minto. LeBlanc is an experienced athlete and coach in the sport of basketball and has extensively volunteered with the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival. This will be his first Games as a member of the Team NB mission staff.

The 2009 Canada Games are a national multi-sport and cultural event being held Aug. 15 - 29, 2009 in Prince Edward Island, and will feature 18 different sports. For more information on Team NB, visit http://www.gnb.ca/sport/.