Grad honoured for championing inclusion in Canadian sport

Shauna Bookal (BSM ‘05) builds community everywhere she goes.

As President and CEO of the Inclusion in Canadian Sports Network (ICSN), Bookal advises internal and external communities on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in Canadian amateur sports. She is a tireless advocate for the growth of sport in the society who works towards breaking gender, race and minority barriers faced by athletes at all levels of sports.

As well as her work with ICSN, she has been appointed to many different EDI Advisory Committees within the sporting community, including the Canada Games Council and Canadian Women in Sports.

She received the 2024 Brock University Alumni Association (BUAA) Distinguished Alumni Award from BUAA President Chris Ventura (BA ’12, MEd ’17) during the University’s Homecoming celebrations on Sunday, Sept. 22 in recognition of her contributions to sports in Canada.

Bookal credits much of her success to the academic grounding and foundational leadership skills she developed as an undergraduate student at Brock, saying the University was instrumental in shaping her journey and her love of working in sports.

“Navigating equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism within the Canadian sport industry has not been easy, but when people ask why I am so motivated, I smile and share my experiences at Brock,” she says.

During her four years at Brock, she met “incredible individuals” who worked with her and inspired her to become the mentor she is today.

“I took every single experience I had, and I am applying it to everything I do in sport,” she says.

Bookal says her time on campus was meaningful to her because she felt the colour of her skin didn’t matter and that it was who she was as a person that mattered to those around her.

Through her anti-racism and EDI work within the amateur sports industry, she aims to help others have the same experience and to help teach others to work together.

This commitment to change extends beyond the world of sports. Bookal is active in her community, serving the Durham Region Anti-Racism Taskforce, Durham Regional Police Service Diversity Advisory Committee and Durham Catholic District School Board Anti-Black Racism and Black Excellence Advisory Committee.

Nominations for the 2025 alumni awards program are open until Friday, Feb. 21.