Ottawa, Ontario — The Canadian Equestrian Federation (CEF) is pleased to announce Dr. Edward Kendall as the new President under the association’s new structure.

At the first meeting of the newly elected Board of Directors on Sunday, February 11, Dr. Kendall was elected President for a one-year term. Alf Fletcher of West Bank, BC, was elected Secretary. Under the ‘new’ structure, the CEF is managed by a fully elected, eleven-member Board of Directors. Eight Directors are elected from each of the four Division Councils (two from each Council), and three Directors (Directors-at-Large) are directly elected by the individual membership of all affiliates. Following are the names and affiliations of the 2001 CEF Board of Directors:

Alf Fletcher West Bank, BC Director at Large

Sam Johnson Sherwood Park, AB Director at Large

Marnie Somers Carberry, MB Director at Large

Sandra Conrad Lawrencetown, NS Sport Council

Terrence Millar Kettleby, ON Sport Council

Chris Gould Mayerthrope, AB Breeds and Industry Council

Edward Kendall Saskatoon, SK Breeds and Industry Council

Pierre Lefabvre Blainville, QC Recreation Council

Sherman Olson Maple Ridge, BC Recreation Council

Deanna Phelan Geary, NB Provincial Council

Robert Young Red Deer, AB Provincial Council

The Board came into power at the CEF Convention, February 7-12, 2001, in Ottawa, ON. Dr. Kendall takes over the position of President from Fletcher, who had held the position since 1996.

‘I have been very committed to the industry throughout my life and felt it was time to move to the next level and share my experiences in virtually all areas of the horse industry with a wider, national audience,’ says Dr. Kendall on his decision to run for President. ‘I felt I could bring a business skill set to the immediate task at hand for the CEF, that is to develop a strong business plan and a well-articulated vision for the organization.’

Many of the issues formerly discussed at the CEF Executive and Board will now be discussed and ratified at the Council level. The delegating of significant authority and responsibility for carrying out policy to highly focused councils and committees allows the Board of Directors sufficient time to focus its efforts on long term vision, mission, core values and ethics, strategic planning and resource allocation.

‘The organization will now largely consist of four divisions with the majority of decisions taking place at the division level,’ explains Dr. Kendall. ‘The role of the Board is to develop enabling technologies that benefit the organization and the industry as a whole.’

The Board’s responsibility will be to ensure that good decisions are being made within strategic budget and policy guidelines. Although the size of the Board is much smaller than before, the opportunity to engage in dialogue and communicate issues/concerns is enhanced. As we move towards the increased use of technology-based communication tools, the Board will establish a number of mechanisms to create dialogue on issues and concerns.

The next meeting of the Board will take place via conference call on March 26 followed by a meeting on May 6-7. It is anticipated that the Board will meet on a quarterly basis.

For further information contact:

Jennifer Ward
Media Relations Coordinator
Tel: (613) 248-3433 ext. 133
e-mail: jward@equestrian.ca