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Health & Wellbeing Series: Beyond the Pandemic | Exploring the Impact of Physical Health and Performance

The Network is pleased to present its second Health and Wellbeing Webinar on March 10, 2022 from 11:30 am -1:00 pm. The webinar will focus on the importance of physical health and staying active during the pandemic. The event will look at the impact on our student athletes’ mental and physical health as well as the effect on our community and local businesses. The conversation will discuss how many athletes and businesses are coping with the many changes and transitions including finding innovative ways to stay active and maintain a healthy lifestyle or performance.

The webinar will be moderated by Dr. Cheryl MacDonald BA’10, the Associate Director of Outreach at the Saint Mary’s University Centre for the Study of Sport & Health and also who teaches in the Health, Wellness & Sport in Society program. Our panelist includes community sport and business leaders of: Jad Crnogorac BComm’98 owner and founder Jadfit, Marisa Colize, Saint Mary’s University Women’s Soccer Head Coach, Keisha Turner BA’12 entrepreneur and higher education professional who founded AthleticYogis.

Please click the link to register: Health & Wellbeing Webinar

Cheryl A. MacDonald

Cheryl A. MacDonald is a sport sociologist who works as the Associate Director of Outreach at the Saint Mary’s University Centre for the Study of Sport & Health and also teaches in the Health, Wellness & Sport in Society program. For over a decade MacDonald specialized in analyses of gender, sexuality, and ice hockey, but has recently pivoted to research on university athlete support and development programming. Nearly all of her research has been funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Sport Canada. Her work has been published in the Sociology of Sport Journal, she has twice served as a media panelist on inclusion for the National Hockey League’s Edmonton Oilers, and she was recently named a leading social change advocate by The Hockey News. Her latest co-edited anthology, Overcoming the Neutral Zone Trap: Hockey’s Agents of Change, is now available through the University of Alberta Press.

Jad - Jadfit

I'm Jad. If you know me, you'll know that wellness has always been a big part of my life. If you don't know me, I'm excited to use this space to introduce myself and help you discover how I can help you on your journey to a happier, healthier you.

Ever since I could walk, I have been an athlete; and that is no mistake, these roots run deep. My father was a semi-professional soccer player in our native Croatia, which first inspired my love for sport. Growing up, I played many different sports, but most excelled in basketball. After setting records at the high school level, I spent my college years playing at Saint Mary’s University (SMU) BComm’98 where I earned the title of All-Canadian and was nominated for the Top Athlete in the country across all sport categories. After my time at SMU, I played professional basketball in Austria.

After my time in Europe, I returned to Canada where I worked in various communications roles, and soon after returned to Halifax where I co-founded the Halifax Rainmen professional basketball team. This venture filled the sports void that was missing in my life after I hung up my sneakers, and after seven exciting years with the franchise, I moved on to pursue other passions.

While fitness has always been a driving factor in my life, it wasn't until I was nearing my 40th birthday that I became motivated to get into the best shape of my life, and added nutrition science to the mix. The transformation I experienced by blending expert nutrition advice with personal training led me to opening my business so I could share my passion and knowledge with others, and help others change their lives for the better mentally and physically (understanding it is all intertwined MIND BODY AND SOUL), through embracing natural, healthy lifestyles.

Marisa Colzie - SMU Women’s Soccer Head Coach

Entering her 6th season as head coach, Marisa Colzie (Kovacs) comes to Saint Mary’s after a successful stint at the University of British Columbia.  In just one year at the helm of the UBC women's soccer program, Colzie took a team that had won just 6 games in the previous year to a CIS National Championship.  Under Colzie the Thunderbirds went 19-1-3 winning the Canada West regular season, and conference tournament championships, going on to win the 2015 CIS National Championship.  

 Prior to UBC Colzie had successful coaching tenures in the NCAA at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Georgia, and Simon Fraser University.

 In 2013-2014 as an assistant at SFU with the men's program, Colzie helped guide a team to back-to-back NCAA National Tournament appearances and a 2013 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championship and NCAA Final Four appearance.  While at SFU, she also completed her Bachelor of Education degree.

 Before moving back home to Canada, Marisa spent nine years helping build the West Georgia program from the ground up. Colzie began as a graduate assistant coach in 2004, the inaugural season of play for the Wolves, and was promoted to head coach in 2006. She held the position until 2012.  During her time at UWG, Marisa helped develop one All-American, two Gulf South Conference Players of the Year, four All-Region Performers, six Academic All-Conference players, 16 All-Gulf South Conference players and 61 Gulf South Conference Academic Honor Roll student-athletes.  The Wolves advanced to the Gulf South Conference Tournament semifinals a total of four times between 2004 and 2012.  She also completed her Master of Education degree in Physical Education during her time at West Georgia.

 In addition to her degrees from UWG and SFU, Marisa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, where she played varsity soccer from 2000 to 2003.  A four-year starter at NCAA Division I Coastal Carolina, she was a four-time Big South All-Conference team member and the league's Freshman of the Year in 2000.  She served as captain for three seasons and made the Big South's All-Tournament team in 2003.

After finishing her varsity career, Colzie played semi-professional and professional soccer for the W-League's Toronto Inferno, where she was team captain, and London Gryphons. In 2005, she suited up for her hometown Windsor Border Stars.

Colzie has her coaching certifications with both the United States Soccer Federation and the Canada Soccer Association.

Keisha Turner - Yogi Entrepreneur

Keisha Turner BA ‘12 (Sociology) and former student athlete, member of the Huskies Women's Volleyball Team is an entrepreneur and higher education professional of Jamaican and Dutch ancestry. 

At the age of 2 her mother moved her to a small community outside of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia called Sluice Point. Until age 15, she never had the opportunity to know her Jamaican family and was 1 of only 2 Black people growing up in a community that was riddled with racism, bigotry and violence. 

This reality shaped Keisha's experience in profound ways. Leading her on a lifelong journey to discover psychological tools and physical actions she could deploy to help her navigate the traumas of life. 

Through athletics, yoga, meditation, professional mental health supports, and a drive to succeed she's become her once wildest dreams. 

This propelled Keisha to started her own company in Toronto called AthleticYogis, which was positioned as a leader in modern athletic yoga mobility training for elite and professional athletes. The program was designed to help maximize athletic performance, which included physical, mental and emotional aspects. From movement, to speed and injury prevention, to mental focus.

Earlier Event: March 4
The Commerce Society's 47th Annual Business 'Dinner'

Executive-In-Residence

Ian Smith headshot.jpg

Ian D. Smith | Chief Executive Officer

Clearwater Seafoods Limited Partnership

Ian D. Smith is the Chief Executive Officer of Clearwater Seafoods.  Mr. Smith joined Clearwater in May 2010 and has over 33 years of international experience in the food and consumer products industry.  Prior to joining Clearwater, Mr. Smith held senior leadership positions at the Campbell Soup Company within Canada, the United States and China.  Prior to his time at Campbell’s, Mr. Smith held various marketing, sales and international business development positions with Allergan, Colgate-Palmolive and the Gillette Company.

Mr. Smith currently participates as a director on a number of boards and advisory councils focused on international trade and public policy including; The Business Council of Canada and the Asia Business Leaders Advisory Council of the Asia Pacific Foundation.  He is a graduate of McGill University (BA Economics, MBA), a former Captain in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve and currently serves as Honorary Colonel of 36 Canadian Engineer Regiment located in the Province of Nova Scotia.

Alumni-In-Residence

Wendy Luther | President and Chief Executive Officer

Halifax Partnership

Wendy Luther Proud Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University. EMBA’08

Wendy Luther is a leader in economic and export development, with vast experience promoting Nova Scotia and its assets globally. Halifax Partnership is Halifax’s public-private economic development

organization. Wendy joined as President & CEO in 2019. In 2023, Halifax

Partnership was honoured with four Excellence in Economic Development

Awards from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC)

including Gold for Economic Development Organization of the Year. Prior to joining Halifax Partnership, Wendy was President & CEO of EduNova, a co-operative association of public and private-sector education providers committed to promoting Nova Scotia’s knowledge economy internationally. Under her leadership, EduNova was honoured with the prestigious international PIEoneer Association of the Year Award in 2017. Earlier in her career, Wendy worked in export development with the Atlantic Canada World Trade Centre and Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI) where she led trade missions to over twenty countries and has mentored and advised hundreds of Nova Scotian exporters on how to be competitive in international markets. At NSBI, through her role as Nova Scotia’s first Private Sector Liaison Officer (PSLO), she was appointed by the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank to connect entrepreneurs and institutions to opportunities funded by International Financial Institutions. Wendy has served on and led numerous boards and committees including advisory boards for two private sector companies (Canada and U.S. based). Currently, Wendy serves on the Board of Directors and the Management Resources and Compensation Committee of Canadian-owned LED Roadway Lighting; the Board of Directors and as Vice Chair of the Governance Committee of Mitacs, a national not-for-profit organization focused on increasing Canada’s innovation competitiveness; and is Membership Chair on the Executive Committee of the International Women's Forum (IWF) Atlantic Chapter. Born in Vancouver, Wendy graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of British Columbia, and an MBA from Saint Mary’s University. She holds a Certified International Trade Professional designation (CITP) and is an alumna of the Caribbean Canada Emerging Leaders Dialogue and Royal Canadian Navy Canadian Leaders at Sea (CLaS) Program. In November 2023, she attained her ICD.D designation through the Institute of Corporate Directors, Director Education Program and is really geeking out on governance! In March 2023 Wendy was honoured with Atlantic Canada's 25 Most Powerful Women in Business award.