OutSport Toronto Board of Directors

Sport has played an integral role in Stephanie’s life for as long as she can remember.  Growing up outside of Ottawa, she got her start in sports playing competitive soccer.  In high school, she discovered Taekwon-do, the ‘art of hand and foot’.  She has spent more than a decade practicing and studying Taekwon-do and holds a second degree black belt.  She feels passionate about the inclusion of women in martial arts and encourages everyone to look to these arts in their pursuit of a holistic approach to health and wellbeing, fitness, and personal development.  Despite her passion for this sport and art, she as faced challenges in a community dominated by the heterosexual male.  When she came out, she felt uncomfortable disclosing her sexuality in the Taekwon-do world.  When she moved to Toronto in 2009, she sought solace in the vibrant queer sporting world.  Stephanie has been an enthusiastic member of Toronto’s Pink Turf Soccer League since 2010.

Stephanie is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health degree with a specialization in Health Promotion.  Her academic interests relate to queer women’s health.  After working in laboratory science for several years, she now works at the Ontario HIV Treatment Network where she supports community-based organizations in building their research capacity.  In this position, she plays an important role in helping these organizations develop the skills to write grants and obtain funding to carry out research.

Stephanie believes that sport can play an instrumental role in the development, healthy socialization, and cohesiveness of Toronto’s queer community.  As OUTSPORT TORONTO’s Director of Fundraising and Development, she strives to ensure that the importance of the organisation’s objectives is recognised by funders and that it has the means and sustainability to meet the needs of its members.

Julian DiBattista’s involvement in sport started at an early age when he began officiating elementary school basketball games as a volunteer.  Following this, he received his certification to formally officiate both football and basketball, and has been blowing the whistle at various levels over the past ten years.  Julian progressed to officiating basketball games at the high school and community college level, and working football games at the provincial and national levels.  Julian has called several provincial and national championships, most notably the 2011 Canadian Junior Football League national championship – the Canadian Bowl – as the field judge. 

In addition to his work on the field, Julian has extensive experience organizing and administering recreational sport, working for the Wilfrid Laurier Department of Athletics and Recreation while completing his degree.  Moving up the ranks, Julian started as an intramural basketball referee, was then given the responsibility of convening the basketball leagues for two years, and ultimately, during his final year at Laurier, was tasked with overseeing the entire intramural program.  Julian received his Bachelors of Business Administration degree with a focus on insurance and risk management in 2009. 

Using the skills learned through his studies, Julian has been very involved on the administrative side of officiating, sitting on the board of his local association and working on provincial and national committees to help strengthen the business practices employed by officiating associations.  He is certified to train and develop football officials and help them progress through the certification program.  In addition to his amateur football responsibilities, Julian works as a member of the statistics crew for the Canadian Football League.

Julian is also politically active.  Currently he is a member of both his federal and provincial riding associations’ board, holding senior positions as a member of the executive.

Professionally Julian is recognized by the Insurance Institute of Canada as a Chartered Insurance Professional and is currently pursuing graduate studies.  

Catherine Meade is the Director, Multi-Sport Games for the City of Toronto.  In this role, she leads the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division’s 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games Branch and has ultimate oversight over the 2012 Ontario Summer Games.  She earned a B.P.E. degree from McMaster University; an M.A. degree focused on sport administration and management from the University of Alberta; and an LL.B. degree, cum laude, from the University of Ottawa.

Catherine has a long history of involvement in the LGBT movement.  She was the President of Womonspace, a lesbian social and recreational organisation in Edmonton in the early 1990’s.  She attended the 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002 Gay Games.  As well, she led city teams preparing for each of those Gay Games and was a member of Toronto’s Bid Team to host the 2002 Gay Games. 

In 2004, Catherine became a founding board member and Co-President of the Gay & Lesbian International Sport Organization (GLISA).  As such, she oversaw the delivery of the 2006 World Outgames in Montreal, the 2005 North American Outgames in Calgary and the 2008 Asia-Pacific Outgames in Melbourne.  In addition, Catherine served on the Site Selection Committee for the 2009 World Outgames in Copenhagen.

Catherine also has an extensive volunteer background in mainstream sport, the highlights of which include working with the 1993 World University Games, the 1994 Commonwealth Games, the 1996 Olympic Games and the 1999 and 2011 Canada Winter Games.  

Through the years, Catherine has served on the boards of the National Association of Women & Law, the Metropolitan Community Church Toronto, the Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project, and numerous other community organisations such as women’s shelters and the Black Educators’ Association.

Before commencing her law degree, Catherine worked as a human rights/equity professional for eight years with organisations such as: the Canadian Human Rights Commission, Acadia University and the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society.

James graduated from McMaster University with a commerce degree, and joined the Hudson's Bay Company upon graduation. It was this, his current job, that was the original impetus for a move to Toronto in 2007, however, he was soon able solidify his roots in the city, by way of becoming involved in the LGBT sport community.

Joining the Cabbagetown Group Softball League introduced James to Toronto's best kept secret - a thriving, inclusive, and healthy community of LGBT-friendly athletes. Through friends he made on his softball team, he took up curling as a winter sport. He became involved in an informal football "pick-up" game in 2009, and then with a team of committed volunteers, took up the task of establishing the Toronto Gay Football League. As assistant commissioner, he saw the league launch in 2010 with +75 players and five teams, and is looking forward to starting year two with upwards of 100 players and 2 to 3 additional teams.

James has a great appreciation for the power of sport to create a community of inclusiveness and healthy living. He is thrilled to be apart of the OutSport Toronto board, as director of membership and member services.