Board of Directors
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For over ten years, Heather Bury has been a driving force in the advancement of sport tourism in Saskatchewan. As a member of the team at Discover Saskatoon, she has been an integral part of all of the major sport events hosted in Saskatoon in the past decade. She works closely with the Friends of the Bowl Foundation, an organization responsible for the $64 million rejuvenation of the Gordie Howe Sports Complex, one of Canada’s largest multi-sport facilities.
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One of Canada’s leading sport tourism and major event professionals, Grant MacDonald brings 30+ years of experience to his role as Chief Operating Officer. Working with host cities, host organizations and host venues, he has established a reputation as a trusted and knowledgeable leader of organizations and major projects. A member of STC’s Board of Directors from 2007 to 2019, he served as Chair from 2011-14. In 2020, Grant chaired Sport Tourism Canada’s COVID-19 Recovery Task Force and he has been the Head of Consulting for Sport Tourism Canada since 2019. Grant will be focused on sport tourism’s role in Canada’s recovery from the community to international levels.
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Carson Ackroyd is a Sales, Marketing and Communications professional with more than 25 years of experience in a number of industry sectors.
He started his career with the Sun Media organization where he worked for 13 years in a number of roles that included running the marketing, promotions and circulation sales for both the Edmonton Sun and the Calgary Sun before transitioning to lead the advertising sales team at the Calgary Sun. He transitioned to become the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for ATCO for more than a decade. In this role, he had a 100+ person team responsible for all aspects of marketing and communications for a multi national conglomerate in the energy, utility and structures and logistics business.
In 2018, Carson became the Sr. Vice President of Sales at Tourism Calgary where he leads a team responsible for attracting sport & major cultural events to the city as well as meetings & conventions.
In addition to his professional background, Carson has served on the Board of Tourism Calgary, Ag For Life, Calgary Blizzard Soccer Club and Silver Springs Golf Club.
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Janet Guthrie is the Sport Tourism Coordinator for the City of Leduc, a community recognized by the GSI Canada Index as one of the country’s top sport hosting communities with a population under 50,000. Involved in sport hosting throughout her life, Janet’s passion for sport tourism took hold in university when she had the opportunity to host the World Junior Luge Championships during her practicum experience. Ever since, she has strived to deliver a stand out experience for all events, leading to consistent recognition at the STC Prestige award.
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Matt has over 15 years of progressive management experience in high profile, complex, public/private governed organizations and possesses the ability to foster collaboration across federal, provincial, and municipal governments while demonstrating the ROI for all stakeholders and the community large. Currently, he is the General Manager of the Rath Eastlink Community Centre, one of Atlantic Canada’s premier sport, entertainment & recreation venues, located in Truro, NS. As a leading industry professional within the Maritimes, Matt is proud to serve as Chair for the Event Atlantic Society, a membership based advocacy group for Pan-Atlantic event tourism. Locally, in Central Nova Scotia he is also the Chair of Events Truro-Colchester, one of Canada’s fastest growing secondary markets and event hosting destinations.
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Lori Talling has led the Region of Durham’s sport tourism program (Sport Durham) since 2015. She has collaborated with national and provincial sport organizations and community partners to host multiple sport events in Durham Region, with a focus on providing memorable participant experiences and generating lasting sport and social legacies. Lori has a passion for leading initiatives that champion inclusion and accessibility, such as the award-winning 2019 Ontario Parasport Games. Her first role with the Region of Durham was as a project and risk management consultant for the first region-wide festival. She also held increasingly progressive information technology, project, internal audit, and risk management roles during her 20-year career at Rogers Communications.
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Allyson Tonelli’s dynamic career in sales, advertising, and integrated marketing has given her the opportunity to work in film and television, sport and recreation, and now tourism. As Director of Sales for Tourism Kingston, she oversees the Travel Trade, Business Events, and Sport and Wellness portfolios. Allyson is responsible for creating robust sales pipelines, innovative sector development plans, and most importantly, business relationships, that anticipate and respond to the ever-changing tourism landscape.