Rugby Ontario is pleased to announce the election and appointment of its new Board of Directors for the 2025-2026 term, including four newly elected Directors, the re-election of one returning Director, and the recent appointment of a Director to fill a vacancy resulting from the resignation of past Chair, Brian Crothers, in May 2025.  

Introducing Our New Directors:

  • Sean Rennie (Re-elected) – Sean returns to the Board for a second term.  As co-founder and former Club President of Georgian Bay Titans RFC, Sean brings a broad perspective of grassroots rugby, complemented by his experience from over 30 years as a player, coach and match official at various levels.  Sean is an elementary school teacher, where in this role he also serves rugby at the school level in his region. He has been actively involved with the Optimist Club of Collingwood and Southern Georgian Bay for over a decade. 
  • Jeff Chan – Jeff Chan of Kingston, ON joins the Board bringing a unique background in support of rugby and a career in management consulting serving clients in 25 countries.  Jeff currently serves as part-time Executive Director of the Canadian Rugby Foundation and played a key role in the founding of the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship in 2016.  Previously, Jeff was the Global Growth Practice co-founder and leader at McKinsey and Company, Senior Advisor at PWC and Consulting Partner at SECOR (since acquired by KPMG). He is also a passionate rugby photographer in his personal time.
  • Claude Germain– Claude offers strong links to the rugby community across Ontario spanning over 43 years.  His extensive experience as a player at all levels in Canada, time as a coach, supporting all five of his children through club rugby and a decades long sponsor, Claude’s passion for rugby is hard to match.  As an experienced business owner and finance industry leader, Claude’s resume includes significant governance experience, including with large corporations such as Canada Post, as well as non-profits like Craigleith Ski Club.  His financial acumen will undoubtedly support Rugby Ontario’s mandate in the years ahead.
  • Kyle Nichols – Having represented Canada at the national team level from 1996-2002, including at the 1999 Rugby World Cup, Kyle Nichols brings a wealth of rugby knowledge to Rugby Ontario.  Kyle played his early rugby for Toronto’s Balmy Beach RFC, where he continues to support the club as a coach and volunteer.  Professionally, Kyle is an experienced leader in insurance, risk and financial management and is currently Managing Director of a leading Canadian brokerage.  He has been a longstanding supporter of the Toronto Inner-City Rugby Foundation (founding Board member) and many other rugby causes at grassroots, club, provincial and national levels.
  • Domenic Scuglia – Domenic previously served the Board of Directors for a period of 15 years up to 2013 (12 as Director of Junior Rugby and 2 as President) and returns with extensive experience as a player, coach and administrator.  Recently retired from a career as a senior education system leader, including as Director of Education at the York Catholic District School Board and Regina Catholic School Division in Saskatchewan, Domenic continues to directly support rugby development in clubs.  His desire to share his knowledge and passion for the game will add real value to Rugby Ontario’s leadership.  Domenic has served as Chair of the Hall of Fame & Awards Committee since 2015.  
  • Alex Johnston (Appointed) – Alex is a seasoned business executive with more than two decades of leadership experience in the public and private sectors.  A CEO she leads a team at 360 Concussion Care and works closely with policy leaders and experts in the concussion community to advance the agenda.  Alex is former Vice-President, Strategy and Public Affairs at CBC/Radio-Canada, and former Executive Director, Catalyst Canada.  Her experience also includes several years as Executive Director of Policy in the Ontario Government, managing the Premier’s policy team.  Other governance work includes serving on the Desjardins Insurance Board for 11 years, including as Vice Chair, and presently acting as Chair of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada and Vice Chair of Bishop’s College School (Quebec). 

Board Chair Marius Felix (on left) attending the Quebec-Ontario Rugby Championship in May with recently elected Director, Jeff Chan (on right).

This slate of Directors joins existing Board members Marius Felix, Barb Gillie and Shelley Ince to round out the governance leadership group.  The Board has also confirmed its new executive officer positions:

  • Chair: Marius Felix
  • Vice Chair: Kyle Nichols
  • Treasurer: Claude Germain
  • Secretary: Barb Gillie

Quote from New Chair, Marius Felix:
“I am honoured to step into the role of Chair of Rugby Ontario alongside such a dedicated and talented group of leaders,” said Marius Felix, Chair of the Board. “Together, we will continue to advance Rugby Ontario’s mission and build on the strong foundation laid by our predecessors, our dedicated team of staff and our passionate community of members.”

Rugby Ontario extends its sincere gratitude to Brian Crothers, outgoing Chair, Ian Royer, outgoing Vice Chair, and longstanding Director and former Vice Chair, Dave Best (“Bestie”), for their outstanding leadership, commitment, and service to the Board and the broader rugby community.  Brian, Ian and Bestie all embodied the values of rugby in their approach to stewarding the organization and the community it serves, and the organization thanks them for their significant contributions. 

For more information about our Board of Directors and the organization’s governance mandate, please visit www.rugbyontario.com. 

Media Contact:
Ryan Murray – Cimoroni
marcomm@rugbyontario.com