John Bales, Coaching Association of Canada

John Bales is Chief Executive Officer of the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC), the not-for-profit national organization mandated by the federal/provincial/territorial governments to improve the effectiveness of Canadian coaching at all levels and across all sports. The CAC's primary program for the development of coaches in Canada is the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), a partnership of sixty-six national sport federations and the federal, provincial and territorial governments and their delivery agencies.

As CEO, Mr. Bales is responsible for setting the direction for a staff of 22 CAC employees at the national office in Ottawa, and coordinating the network of seven National Coaching Institutes. Among the other important initiatives of the CAC are the Women in Coaching Program, the annual Petro-Canada Sport Leadership sportif conference, GM Making Dreams Possible Program, Investors Group Community Coaching Conferences, coaching internship and apprenticeship programs, and research focused on coaching and coach education.

Prior to assuming the CEO role at CAC, Mr. Bales was founding director of the National Coaching Institute - Calgary, and worked as a senior consultant at Sport Canada, the federal government agency responsible for sport.

John has an MBA from the Institut Européan d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD) in Fontainebleau, France, and undergraduate degrees in physical education and mathematics from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He coached athletes to Olympic, Commonwealth and Pan American medals in two sports (sprint canoeing and athletics) and was a national and Olympic canoe coach for Canada.

John is volunteer President of the International Council for Coach Education (ICCE), a not-for-profit, international organization with the mission of promoting coaching as an internationally accepted profession and enhancing the quality of coaching at every level of sport. A member of the founding board in 1997, John served as ICCE Treasurer and Secretary General before being elected President in 2005.