Hockey Canada adds five new members to its board of directors, including three women

CALGARY — Hockey Canada has announced five new directors to its board of directors, including three women, to serve two-year terms. 

Andrea Skinner, Leanne Standryk, and Mary Anne Veroba were added to the board following elections at their annual meeting — held virtually due to COVID-19 — on Saturday. 

The national governing body called their additions a “significant step forward” as they seek to be more diverse and inclusive. 

Hockey Canada instituted a bylaw in 2019 that requires the board to have at least two male and two female members to “better reflect Canadian society”.

Skinner is a former captain of the Cornell University women’s hockey team. She also served as an assistant coach for the University of Ottawa’s women’s hockey team and as a referee. She is presently a partner at Toronto-based law firm Aird & Berlis LLP where she also serves on the company’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Andrea’s brother is Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner. 

Standryk is a senior partner for the Lancaster, Brooks & Welch LLP law firm where she specializes in management side labour and employment as well as sports law. She has also served as a mediator and arbitrator in sports-related disputes.  

Veroba previously served on the Saskatchewan Hockey Association’s Board of Directors, including nearly a decade as their chair. 

The trio will join Terry Engen and Bobby Sahni as the five newest members of Hockey Canada’s board.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2020.

The Canadian Press