Third Chairperson Announced for Campaign Leadership Team

Over the past two weeks, we have introduced two of the three co-chairs of ECA’s Campaign Leadership Team, Jon Jaqua and Kip Leonard. This week, we are excited to introduce you to the third and final chairperson for the Campaign Leadership Team, Beverly Smith. Beverly “Bev” Smith Is the Executive Director of Kidsports, a non-profit organization that gives more than 15,000 children the opportunity to play seven-core team sports throughout the year.

From 2001 to 2009, Smith was head women’s basketball coach at the University of Oregon. In 2002, her team won the NWIT national championship and in 2005 competed in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament. Smith was also a student athlete at Oregon from 1978 to 1982. As a member of the Oregon Women’s Basketball team, the Canadian native set multiple records and was named to the Kodak All American team in 1981 and 1982.

Smith played 12 years for the Canadian National Team, competing in the 1979, 1986 and 1994 World Championships, as well as the 1984 and 1996 Olympic games. She was head coach of the Canadian National Team from 1997-2001 and coached the team in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She is a member of the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the American Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, the Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame.

Smith graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Performance. She holds a level 4/5 National Coaching Certificate from the Canadian National Institute of Coaching. She was the author of the first draft of Canada Basketball’s Long Term Athlete Development Plan and has conducted coaching clinics in Canada, Italy, Jordan and the United States. Currently she serves on the Sports Conflict Institute Advisory Board.

“I want to help re-imagine youth sports to ensure that all kids have the opportunity to enjoy an early, positive, youth sport experience. A positive experience helps children to improve athletic performance, aids in injury prevention, and provides important social development. The Kidsports field house at Civic Park will enhance our efforts to keep kids playing, developing, and having fun.”

With Bev’s wide range of experiences both as an athlete and a coach, we are anxious to see what ideas she has for our fundraising team. We are grateful to have such strong, community-minded individuals spearheading our fundraising efforts and we look forward to seeing what ideas Jaqua, Leonard, and Smith will bring to the Civic Park project.

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