Committee Chair
Chair: Joni Frei
Joni graduated from Georgia College and State University with a degree in Kinesiology. She also holds a Master of Public Administration from Kennesaw State University. She is a Coaching Association of Canada Chartered Professional Coach and an NCCP Master Learning Facilitator and Coach Evaluator.
In 2014 Joni coached Team B.C. to gold at the North American Indigenous Games in Regina, Saskatchewan. She returned to coach Team BC to a bronze medal at the 2017 North American Indigenous Games in Toronto, Ontario.
Currently, Joni is Softball B.C’s Director Coaching and chairs the Indigenous Long-term Development Committee. Her goal is to impact the landscape of girls and women in sport and leadership.
Committee Members
Vice Chair: Michelle Wester
Michelle is Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council's (ISPARC) Manager, Sport Development & Community Engagement. Michelle graduated from Kansas Wesleyan University with a master’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Sport Management. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Health, Physical Education and Recreation. While studying at Kansas Wesleyan University, Michelle was the catcher for the Women’s Softball Team. Once she completed her collegiate career, she began her coaching career an Assistant Coach, later becoming the Head Coach of her alma mater.
In 2014, Michelle coached Team BC to a gold medal at the North American Indigenous Games, and again at the 2017 Games, where the team just missed out on a medal. In 2018, she coached the Zone 2 softball team to a silver medal at the BC Summer Games in Cowichan, BC.
Michelle is grateful for the opportunities she has had through softball and is dedicated to supporting the growth and development of young athletes.
Cedar is a former member of the Richmond Islanders from 1989 to 1999. In 1995 and 1996, they played for Team BC, after which they won as scholarship to play at Southern Mississippi University in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. After graduating university, Cedar started their coach education and in 2014 they coached Team South Korea at the 2004 World Cup.
Today, Cedar is a teacher at the Maaqtusiis Schools in Ahousaht, BC on West Vancouver Island. As a keen volunteer, Cedar has facilitated softball camps in remote Northwest Territories Indigenous communities. Cedar is motivated to promote inclusive softball programs in remote BC First Nations and Metis communities.
Kelli Ann Harman
Kelli Ann Harman is the VP for People and Culture for AMFA - Abbotsford Minor Fastball Association.
This is a new position for me, as I have been the Manager of Community Engagement for several years. I love being involved in the softball community as a whole, as there are many committed, focused, and passionate people to be found volunteering there. I love the connections that softball brings within our community, and the learning opportunities, even as adults.
I wanted to be a part of the ILTD committee, as I believe that every player can grow and develop through critical long-term strategies. I also think each child in our community should have access, and the opportunity to play softball. We need to identify potential biases, barriers, and areas where there is a lack of knowledge to make sure that we incorporate a program that benefits all youth players in districts to support them in continuing their performance and commitment to softball.
Lisa Parkes
Lisa is Softball BC VP and secretary of Langford Minor Fastball Association. She has been and continues to be involved in softball as a slo-pitch player and minor softball coach. She has coached softball from Learn to Play right up to U19, and while I love all of the ages, my favourite thing is to instil a love of sport in young kids.
At first, I was hesitant to join the ITLD committee because I felt like there were so many people inside and outside of Indigenous communities who had much more to offer to the committee than I did. However, I realised that it is also essential to have people like me - who want to learn and contribute - on the committee. I am looking forward to this opportunity to learn and grow through my work with the ILTD committee.
TERMS OF REFERENCE
INDIGENOUS LONG TERM DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
VISION
SOFTBALL FOR EVERYONE
MISSION
TO DEVELOP AND PROMOTE THE SPORT OF SOFTBALL WITHIN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
Goals
- A) Provide input and recommendations on the implementation plan of the Softball BC ILTD program as created with ISPARC and Sport4Life
- B) Identify where there are deficiencies and opportunities within the framework of the LTD to recommend new programmes, or changes to existing programmes
- C) Liaison with other advisory committees who are involved with the development of softball in BC, to provide insight from an Indigenous perspective. The liaison will be appointed by the chair of the committee.
- D) Assist staff in communicating and promoting LTD principles and programmes by creating or sharing content.
Membership
- Chair -Appointed by the President of Softball BC for a term of two (2) years.
- Secretary - responsible for minutes and scheduling of meetings (performed by a staff member when the position is open)
- Member at Large - the committee will be made up of not less than 3 and not more than 5 members.
The composition of the committee may include non-members of Softball BC. Committee should make every attempt to be representative of the Indigenous communities, from a geographical, gender, and participation perspective.
Call for applications will be posted by Softball BC, and final selections will be made by the appointed members from the Board of Directors
Jurisdiction
This is an advisory committee reporting to the board of directors. This committee is not empowered to make any final and binding decisions, but to provide guidance and recommendations to the advisory councils, other committees, and the board, for their consideration.
Resources and Budget
The committee may conduct meetings via conference call, in person, or by an electronic meeting format. The chair will decide on the format prior to each meeting. The BCASA will, when available, provide staff advisory resources, as well as transcribing, photocopying, and printing as required. Costs for travel and meeting space will require prior approval by the Executive Director. Any additional financial resources requested must be approved by the finance committee prior to those funds being used.
Governance
Decisions will be made by a simple majority with the chair not having a vote unless the vote is tied. Members may communicate their vote by email, phone or in person. Proxy votes are not permitted. A quorum requires no less than 60% of committee members present, either in person or electronically. The Secretary shall serve as vice-chair in the absence of the chair of the committee.
Privacy
All documents and minutes from meetings will be provided to Softball BC staff by the Secretary, and stored on the BCASA secure site. The minutes will be distributed, by staff, to all members of the committee within three (3) days of receipt from the Secretary. Once minutes are approved, they will be circulated to the Board of Directors via the Executive Director.
General
The chair of the committee shall be a member in good standing of the BCASA. All committee members shall abide by BC Amateur Softball Association policies, including, but not restricted to: code of conduct, conflict of interest, privacy and confidentiality policies.
Deliverables
The committee shall provide, at their discretion, the board of directors and/or other Softball BC committees with written recommendations for changes to special operating rules, policies, and/or by-laws of the society as they see fit. Such recommendations will be presented by the chair at either a regular meeting of the Board of Directors of Softball B.C, or a scheduled meeting of other Softball BC committees. The committee will provide, through the chair, a written report to be distributed to the membership in the pre AGM documents showing actions taken by the committee over the past year, and recommendations for new initiatives to be considered by the committee.
Review
These terms of reference may be reviewed at the request of the committee chair, but must be done at least once every thirty-six (36) months. Terms of reference are to be approved by the Softball BC board of directors.
