CCAA names Exemplary Leadership Award after ‘Senator’ Smith
The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) has re-named the Women’s Basketball Exemplary Leadership Award in honour of Judy Smith.
The Judy Smith Exemplary Leadership Award will be presented for the first time next month at the 2019 CCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship, hosted by Cégep de Sainte-Foy in Sainte-Foy, QC.
The Exemplary Leadership Award is presented during the closing ceremonies at CCAA National Championships to a participating student-athlete, team or coach who demonstrates attitudes and behaviour in sport that are ethical and create standards for others to follow.
“Judy is a perfect embodiment of the Exemplary Leadership Award,” said Mai Anh Nguyen, CCAA Women’s Basketball Convenor and Athletics Coordinator at Vanier College. “Her personality, ethics, values and leadership are what make her such a great leader.”
‘Senator’ Smith has served in various CCAA volunteer positions since 1978. She was the CCAA Women’s Basketball Convenor from 1979-85 and later served as CCAA President from 1990-94 and again from 2010-12.
“For more than four decades, Judy has played a significant role in collegiate sport at the conference and national level – her commitment to student-athletes and to the best possible sport experiences for them is widely known and admired,” said June Lumsden, Director of Athletics & Recreation at Mount Saint Vincent University and a colleague of Smith’s in the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA).
“The ACAA happily joins her colleagues across the country as the CCAA recognizes Judy’s achievements and outstanding leadership in naming this award in her honour.”
The outgoing Athletic Director from Dalhousie Agricultural Campus in Truro, NS, is no stranger to CCAA National Championships, particularly in Women’s Basketball. Smith hosted CCAA Women’s Basketball Nationals in 1980, 1988, 1995, 2003, 2008 and 2013.
“I first met Judy as a player, then as a coach and now as a colleague and she has always done everything with dignity and respect,” said Nguyen. “I am glad that her legacy will continue with the CCAA.”
