Thérèse Quigley, Western’s director of sports and recreation services, has been named president of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), the national governing body of university sport in Canada. She begins her two-year term in 2014.
Quigley will take over for University of Regina director of athletics Dick White, who began a one-year interim term at the CIS annual general meeting held earlier this month in Toronto.
“We’re very excited to welcome Dick and Thérèse as president and president elect,” said Pierre Lafontaine, chief executive officer of CIS. “They are both accomplished leaders not only in university sports but in the overall Canadian sport system and there is no doubt they will lead CIS to new heights. We are all looking forward to their guidance over the next few years.”
Prior to returning to her alma mater in 2009, Quigley spent 18 years as director of athletics and recreation at McMaster University.
A former volleyball standout at Western, she represented Canada in the sport at the 1973 Summer Universiade in Moscow and went on to coach at the University of Alberta and McMaster. The award, presented annually to the CIS women’s volleyball player who best exhibits excellence in athletics, academics and community involvement, is named in her honour.
Quigley will become only the second CIS president from Western, following in the footsteps of Duncan McLarty, who was the inaugural president from 1961-63.