Ottawa, February 6, 2025 – It’s with mixed-emotions that the Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC) announces the retirement of CEO Debra Gassewitz.
“It has been an amazing journey to have led SIRC over the past 28 years,” Gassewitz said. “Today, SIRC is more relevant than ever, with dynamic teams at both the Board level and among staff, leading, innovating, and moving the organization forward. Credibility of information and a warmth to include and help others are at the core of the organization. With this in mind, I feel the time is right to pass the leadership on to someone new and I am confident that SIRC will continue to grow and flourish under new leadership.”
The SIRC Board of Directors, past and present, are grateful to have worked with Debra and her inspiring team over the years. During her career, Debra was a champion for concussion research, providing National Sport Organizations with the latest information to help make evidenced based decisions, convening the brightest minds in sport research at the Sport Canada Research Initiative (SCRI) conference every year, and so much more.
“Debra has been an innovator, a facilitator, and a supporter of SIRC’s mission to empower sport organizations and individuals to improve the quality of sport and physical activity experiences by creating, curating and sharing credible evidence-based knowledge using relevant, engaging and innovative communication approaches,” Jake Rondot, Chair of SIRC, said. “Debra’s leadership of SIRC spanned its evolution from a physical library to Canada’s foremost sport research hub. Though we wish her all the best, we recognize how integral she has been to SIRC’s success and how much the Board and team will miss her leadership,” Rondot said.
“On a personal level, it has been such an honor to work with the incredible board and staff at SIRC and my colleagues across the sport system.” Debra said. “I am so proud of what we’ve accomplished and excited to see SIRC’s next chapter.
The board and staff at SIRC appreciate Debra’s continued support and leadership over the coming months and through the hiring of and transition to a new CEO. A position posting and recruitment process will open on the SIRC Careers page in the coming days. The team also looks forward to celebrating Debra’s amazing career and accomplishments this spring in Ottawa, with details to follow.
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About SIRC: The Sport Information Resource Centre is Canada’s leader in sport research and knowledge dissemination. SIRC collaborates with national and provincial sports organizations, academics, and industry professionals to support the development of Canadian sport through evidence-based insights and resources.
For more information, visit SIRC’s new website: www.sirc.ca or contact info@sirc.ca. You can also find SIRC on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and X.