Welcome and congratulations to our new and returning 2026 Board of Directors!
The Recreation Nova Scotia Annual General Meeting was held on October 14th during the annual conference held at the Best Western Truro – Glengarry. Members gathered to hear updates about the past year from RNS, CCTH and CPRA.
Members also heard speeches from three candidates for the position of student director. A vote was held which saw Acadia University student, Jenna Gallant elected. RNS would like to thank R Kyra George and Maddie Stewart for putting their names forward for the student director position.
The AGM saw two additional new board members elected. Dawn Stegan and Elliot Hernandez were both elected as directors at large.
Dawn Stegan – Director at Large
Dawn Stegan brings over 45 years' experience in the recreation sector. Dawn graduated from the Recreation and Physical Education program at Acadia University in 1987. She worked with the Canadian Red Cross in Aquatic Safety Services, was the Executive Director of Recreation Nova Scotia from 1998-2009, Manager of Recreation with the Dept. of Health Promotion and Protection 2009-2011, Director of Regional Services for the Communities Sport Recreation Division with CCTH from 2011-2020, and Executive Director of the Accessibility Directorate with the Dept of Justice from 2020-2026. Newly retired, Dawn hopes to bring her relationship building skills to the board in hopes of supporting the continued growth and success of RNS.
Elliot Hernandez – Director at Large
Elliot Hernandez is a corporate lawyer with a broad practice spanning banking and finance, commercial real estate, general corporate commercial, and energy law. Elliot is a long-time soccer referee and has spent many years volunteering on a variety of boards and with uOttawa's Right to Play program. Elliot hopes to utilize his transferable skills as a member of the board, which include reviewing contracts, evaluating risk and problem solving, and communicating effectively.
Jenna Gallant – Student Director
Jenna Gallant is a 4th year Kinesiology Student at Acadia University. In addition to being a student, Jenna also has experience working in various recreational roles with the Town of Kentville, Scotia Pool and the Boys and Girls Club, Truro and Colchester. Jenna hopes to use her position on the board to enhance the lives of the youth population in Nova Scotia when it comes to recreation. She also hopes to combine the valuable insights of recreational professionals with her experiential knowledge to increase the engagement that students have with recreation.
Board of Directors for 2026-2027:
President: Laura Jacobs
Past President: Brendon Smithson
Vice-President of Finance: John Mitchell
Vice-President Monitoring: Clare Steele
Student Director: Jenna Gallant
Director at Large: Andrew Farrell
Director at Large: Jessica Allen
Director at Large: Elliot Hernandez
Director at Large: Wil van Hal
Director at Large: Dawn Stegen
Thank you to outgoing board members Tissy Bolivar, Ruth-Ellen Jackson and Agustina Cohen for their leadership, dedication, and contributions to Recreation Nova Scotia during their time on the RNS board.
The 2025-26 annual report can be viewed on the RNS Website, https://www.recreationns.ns.ca/reports.html.