Karen Dommett, incoming chair of Sports4Life Cochrane, exemplifies extraordinary leadership in promoting active communities.
Her tireless efforts have made a lasting and meaningful impact on the lives of individuals with disabilities and the broader community.
A Cochrane resident since 2020, Dommett was presented the Lieutenant-Governor's Award for Outstanding Community Leader during last weekend's Alberta & Parks Recreation Association conference in Lake Louise.
This award is presented to an individual who has been inspirational in engaging others, acting as a catalyst to increase citizen involvement in planning for increased participation in active living, recreation and sport.
It's something Dommett has been doing for years.
While a main component of her nomination was the leadership she provided as general manager of the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games hosted in Calgary in February 2024, her involvement in sport and determination to make sport inclusive dates back much further.
In a video shown during the presentation, Dommett spoke of how her role as manager of athlete services for the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer lead her to where she is today.
"We got to plan a multi-sport games that were fully inclusive of generic sport, Special Olympic sport and para sport and got to see the effects of that change. That really led me down this path of being really motivated to want to continue that journey and continue to use sport as our greatest tool on asset to influence social change and impact our communities."
She went on to be general manager of the 2024 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games hosted by Calgary, and continues to be manager of games and competition for Special Olympics Canada.
Dommett gives credit to the many people who have assisted and inspired her along the way.
"To work with people who inspire you, that's really, I think, the derivative of my success is that I've been surrounded by really great people, and I've been able to lean on some really incredible mentors and learn from some really fantastic folks."
Lea Wiens, who has been executive director of Sport4Life Cochrane since 2010 and is stepping back from the chair, says Dommett was already a legend when she worked with her on various initiatives.
"Everywhere she goes she's very well respected. She understands not only the benefit of sport but also the reality of the sports system and how to work within the system to get things done and create good experiences for everybody," says Wiens.
"She's very strategic, but also has a big heart. I think we're very lucky to have her in Cochrane."
Wiens believes Sport4Life is in good hands with Dommett.
"She has a great vision of how great sport already is in Cochrane, but how much better it can be with some better connections and supports to make sure that we are reaching adults and kids of all abilities and all backgrounds."
Ashley Fox, also of Sport4Life Cochrane, says she first connected with Dommett when word spread that she was moving to Cochrane four years ago.
"There's a lot of layers to Karen's leadership," says Fox. "One of the biggest is that she's really a servant leader. She's intentional, kind, and bold in what she does, and to have such energy and passion for sport, recreation to the collectivity and the value that it has is all wrapped together, makes her a really unique and impactful leader."
Outside of her professional endeavours, Karen is an active community volunteer, further exemplifying her commitment to positively impacting. Her selfless dedication to serving others and improving the well-being of her community is truly admirable.