Board Members
Lesek Demont – Chair
Colin Piercey – Vice Chair
Jon Gaunce – Treasurer
Ruth Roy – Secretary
Jennifer Ramsay
Andrew McFarlane
Pam Cooley
Don Forgeron
Marcel Dupupet
Peter Smith
Craig Bethune
Staff
Brad Lawlor – CEO
Brad Lawlor is a familiar name to many within the Sport Sector, through his past roles as the Executive Director of Soccer NS, Basketball NS and Baseball NS which span the last 19 years.
Brad is a well-respected sport leader in Nova Scotia and Canada and is truly passionate about developing sport as well as people. Like TNS he is focused on ensuring everyone has access to quality and safe sport programming.
“Tennis NS is on a journey of change that will raise the organization’s profile and increase the impact they have on the game. Priority areas of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and accessibility are at the forefront of this change. We have to ensure that the systems we create are welcoming and conducive for all Nova Scotians.”
Gareth Dowdell – Director of Operations
Gareth Dowdell represented New Zealand as a junior before receiving a full tennis scholarship at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, where he was ranked in the top 25 of singles and doubles in Division 2.
Gareth has experience coaching in New Zealand, USA, and Canada and holds a Club Pro 3 and Coach 2 qualification. Gareth is currently the TNS Director of Operations where he is focussed on: SATC planning/budget, policies and procedures, SATC court utilization/maximization, and optimizing the competitive events structure.
Marijke Nel – Technical Director
Marijke played competitive tennis on a Division 1 scholarship at the University of Texas and Kansas State University. She was then recruited to play for a club in the German summer league – and still plays in the Regionalliga in non-Covid times.
Marijke has been involved in a coaching capacity in Nova Scotia since 2008 and has served as the Technical Director for Tennis Nova Scotia since 2013.
She holds Coach 2 and Club Pro 2 certifications, and is in the process of completing the Club Pro 3 course. Some of the roles which Marijke oversees include coach training and certification, member club support, development initiatives, schools training, performance and grass roots development, and a growing wheelchair tennis development program.
Steve Mahar – Director of Player Development
Steve started coaching in 2002 in Mt. Pearl, Newfoundland where his passion for the tennis industry grew rapidly. Over 20 years later, Steve is now one of the highest certified Tennis Professionals in the country with a Coach 3 and Club Pro 3 certification, is a candidate for the Advanced Coaching Diploma with Canadian Sport Institute and is a Tennis Canada Course Facilitator and Coach Developer at the Instructor, CP1 and CP2 levels.
Steve has also coached multiple top 5 Nationals level athletes and had players achieve international success in Israel, France, UK and the US. He is also the Tennis Canada Recipient of the 2023 Coaching Excellence Award and the Sport NS Runner up for Coach of the Year.
Molly Pineau – Manager of Club Development & Competitions
Molly Pineau, a graduate of Humber College’s Sport Business Management program, focuses on promoting club development and enriching competition throughout the province. With a strong understanding of sport management, Molly is dedicated to assisting clubs to develop strategies that create inclusive environments for athletes of all levels, combining strategic insights with a deep passion for fostering growth and excellence.
Hilda LaPierre – Finance Manager
Hilda has been working with Sport Nova Scotia for the past 8 years in Finance and Payroll where she has been an important part of the Finance and Admin team. Most notably, Hilda has been supporting over 30 Provincial Sport Organizations with a variety of financial and payroll services throughout those years.