Donyale Canada has been named the Associate Commissioner for Championships/Senior Women’s Administrator for the Southwestern Athletic Conference, Commissioner Duer Sharp announced Tuesday.
Canada, previously served as the Associate Commissioner for Women’s Basketball Operations for the Mid American Conference. Canada was the staff liaison to the Senior Administrator governance body of the MAC Joint Committee and was primarily responsible for all women’s basketball operations and the sport management of men’s soccer and track and field.
A native of Texas, Canada also served as Director of Sports Services for Conference USA, and was responsible for the administration and championship oversight for several of C-USA sports. Canada also spent three years at the Ohio Valley Conference as the Assistant Commissioner for Championships and Senior Woman Administrator. She oversaw the event management of 18 OVC championships and assisted with the administration and marketing of the OVC Baseball and Basketball Tournaments.
A member of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Issues Committee, she served as a NCAA Staff Representative for the 2006 and 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball First and Second Rounds. Canada has also served as a site representative for the 2006 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship’s preliminary rounds. She was the Assistant Tournament Manager for the 2005 NCAA Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds in Nashville and is a Founding Board Member of the Collegiate Event and Facility Management Association (CEFMA) established in 2008.
Canada earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, with a specialization in sport management, from Texas A&M University in 1997. While in College Station, she was a member of the Aggie women’s basketball and track & field teams. In 1994, her women’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA “Sweet Sixteen” and she was an NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field championships qualifier in 1995, 1996 and 1997.
Courtesy: SWAC.org