Governance

Debbie Frail has extensive experience in ringette, having been involved for over 20 years in a number of capacities including administrator, coach, parent, and board member. She has been on the Ringette Canada Board of Directors for the past four years, citing a desire to give back to the community that has provided so much to her family. In that time, she has served on every committee in some capacity, including as Chair of the Governance and Nominations Committees. As President, she hopes to contribute to the continued growth of the amazing sport of ringette which provides women and girls the chance to lead and excel, as well as ensuring all participants have a safe environment to enjoy their ringette experience.

Outside of ringette, Debbie has spent the last 25 years as a consultant with technology companies securing funding for Research & Development activities. She brings a wealth of accounting, business and corporate experience, as well as a deep understanding of amateur sport, project management, and non-profit leadership.

Term ends: Sept 2026

Term ends: Sept 2028

Shane Lambert brings extensive experience with strategic governance, policy development, and financial management. He has held leadership roles in strategic initiatives and non-profit business. Shane was motivated to join the Ringette Canada Board of Directors due to his deep passion for ringette and a desire to contribute to its growth and development. 

He is a proud ringette parent, and has also coached and served on the board for his local association. At each stage, he has cherished the experience of working tirelessly to expand ringette’s reach to a wider audience. Shane is working to establish a legacy of growth and increased accessibility for the sport, by prioritizing strategic initiatives like data-driven development and community outreach.

Terms ends: Sept 2027

Jason Nystrom is the Director of Partner Experience at Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI). He works closely with insurance brokers across Canada to help meet customer needs. Jason was born and raised in Gatineau, Québec. He holds a Master’s of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Ottawa and is fluently bilingual in English and French. Jason lives in White City, Saskatchewan with his wife Allison and their daughters Maddy and Sofia. 

Jason has coached ringette at the AA and B levels in Saskatchewan. His oldest daughter Maddy is a goalie, who has won bronze at the 2023 Canada Winter Games with Team Saskatchewan, silver with the 2023 Junior Team Canada, and silver with the Calgary RATH in 2024 at CRC’s in Dieppe, New Brunswick. 

Jason has a background in governance. Earlier on in his career he management the Saskatchewan Highway Traffic Board for 7+ years. He chaired the Conseil économique et coopératif de la Saskatchewan (CÉCS) and was a board member at the Réseau de développement économique et d'employability (RDÉE Canada) for several years. He hopes to be remembered for his work as someone who was a positive voice in making ringette in Canada better for players, coaches, and officials.

Term ends: Sept 2026

John Voss has been involved in ringette for many years, beginning with his first role as a proud ringette dad as his daughters moved through the high-performance pathway. From there, he coached for several local associations and the National Ringette League, as well as serving six years on the Board of Directors for Ringette Ontario, five of which he was president for. He believes that contributing to the work of the Ringette Canada Board is the best way he could contribute to the strength and growth of ringette, so many more families can benefit from ringette participation as his has.

Outside of ringette, John is the founder and principal of Jupiter Energy Advisors, an energy consulting company. He holds a degree in engineering, an MBA,  as well as a certificate in enterprise risk management and a Chartered Director designation. To this role, John brings business leadership and financial perspective as a business owner. He is focused on creating a strong framework of strategies and policies that allow Ringette Canada to provide participants an outstanding ringette experience.

Term ends: Sept 2028

Term ends: Sept 2028

Ann MacTaggart is a Principal and Guide at Unconstrained, a consultancy dedicated to training and guiding leaders through complex business challenges and opportunities. She is a graduate of the University of Alberta and holds a BA (Econ) and a BCom from the Alberta School of Business, and is a CPA CA, a Certified Management Consultant, and holds an ICD.D from the Institute of Corporate Directors. Her career experiences provide the backdrop to support organizations’ change projects associated with board, executive, and finance functions from various industries including sport, energy, manufacturing, insurance and benefits, and medical research. For the past decade, Ann’s practice has combined holding fractional C-suite roles with guiding CEOs, CFOs, and other business and finance professionals in many organizations. 

Ann currently serves on the Board of Directors, the Governance and Ethics Committee and the Audit and Risk Committee of Ringette Canada, is a Candidate Assessor for CMC Canada and Discipline Tribunal member of CPA Alberta, and volunteers as a Mentor with the University of Alberta ThresholdImpact Venture Mentoring Service. Ann is a washed-up ringette player, turned coach and governor, avid camper and lives with her family in the Edmonton area.

Term ends: Sept 2026

Tracy Phaneuf has valuable involvement in governance, human resources management, and corporate experience. She works in the financial industry and has a background in human resources, leadership, and recruitment. 

Tracy is looking forward to giving back to the ringette community as a director. She also coaches, runs goalie camps, conditioning camps, and mentors new coaches in Saskatchewan to grow the game in her community. Her passion is what drives her to grow the sport, and be a part of the inspiring future of the fastest game on ice.

Term ends: Sept 2027

Nina Tajbakhsh was inspired to join the Board of Directors due to her passion for athlete advocacy, and the importance of representing the athlete’s voice and perspective on the National level. She has played ringette for more than 27 years at all levels, and currently competes in the National Ringette League. Nina believes ringette and community come together when you can share in successes, and find support and new opportunities in failures. 

Nina is a Certified Athletic Therapist who works in clinics and in the field. In clinic, she works with all manner of people - athletes, the general population, “weekend warriors”, and pre- and post-operative patients. On the field, she works with many sports: football, hockey, volleyball, rugby, and ringette. Her career allows her to help others achieve their goals and exceed expectations, while promoting ringette and the resilience of athletes in our sport.

As the Athlete Director, Nina works towards ensuring decisions are athlete-centred, and that athletes understand the importance of their voices. She hopes to inspire the next generation of athletes to get involved in governance, and leave their impact on the sport we love.

Term ends: Sept 2027