Jacquelyn Novak Nayyar joining Softball BC

Softball BC is pleased to announce the appointment of Jacquelyn Novak Nayyar (she/her) as Sport Development Director. Jacquelyn will be acting in this part-time advisory role commencing immediately. The Sport Development portfolio includes athlete performance and pathways (including Team BC and BC Summer Games), CanPitch, coach development, Indigenous participation, and softball development in rural and remote communities.

Jacquelyn is the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Toa Consulting, a British Columbia-based consulting firm specializing in sport, sport tourism, and community development. Her work is deeply rooted in the Canadian sport system, with extensive experience supporting provincial and national sport organizations, Indigenous communities, event hosts, and sector partners across a broad range of strategic and operational initiatives. Jacquelyn is an accomplished softball player and coach, having played competitively in Ontario, BC, the USA and Europe over a 30-year career. Jacquelyn has served as head coach and technical instructor for multiple teams in BC and Europe, as well as being a member of the coaching staff for the Czech Women’s National Softball program (both junior and senior teams leading up to the Tokyo Olympics). Jacquelyn has been a coach developer for Softball BC since 2014 and continues to serve in the role.

Jacquelyn (through Toa Consulting) has led initiatives in the Canadian sport system including strategic planning for multiple provincial sport organizations, governance and safe sport work with Indigenous and mainstream sport organizations, and sport development strategies, including the most recent National Growth Strategy for Rugby Canada. Jacquelyn is one of the co-founders of Sport Event Exchange BC (SEEBC), a sector-wide conference bringing together sports and sport host cities to accelerate BC’s position as a sport hosting leader in Canada. Jacquelyn serves on the Board of Directors for Sport for Life, is the Chair of the Board for Physical Literacy for Life and serves as the Chair of the Governance Committee for both organizations. Jacquelyn completed a Master of Advanced Studies in Sport Management and Technology from the International Academy of Sport Science and Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland. Welcome to the team, Jacquelyn!