SACKVILLE, N.B. – Mount Allison University will welcome Mark Cohon, commissioner of the Canadian Football League (CFL) as part of the Ron Joyce Centre Presents speaker series on Tuesday, March 26.
Cohon’s talk, entitled “The Turnaround League: Lessons in Innovation from the CFL Commissioner,” will take place in Brunton Auditorium at 7 p.m.
Cohon has been commissioner of the CFL since 2007 and has celebrated many league milestones during this time, including the 100th Grey Cup in 2012 and plans for an expansion team in Ottawa. Under Cohon’s leadership, the CFL also hosted two successful Touchdown Atlantic games in Moncton, NB and will host a third in September 2013.
Tim Hynes, director of the Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies, says, “We are pleased to welcome Mark Cohon to Mount Allison as this year’s speaker for the Ron Joyce Centre Presents speaker series. His leadership track record in the CFL and other major sports leagues, as well as several successful businesses, is exceptional. I know that what he will have to say will be interesting and enlightening for both our students and members of the community.”
In addition to the CFL, Cohon has also held senior executive positions with Major League Baseball International (MLB) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a former chief development officer for Petopia, a multi-channel retailer in the U.S., and former president and CEO of AudienceView, an event-ticketing firm with clients including the Toronto Blue Jays. Cohon was installed in the Order of Ontario this year, serves on the board of World Wildlife Fund Canada and is a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society.
Mount Allison has a long-standing connection to the CFL with several football Mounties being drafted to the league, including Eric Lapointe, who played with the Montreal Alouettes for most of his career and was recently inducted into the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame.
Other football Mounties drafted to the CFL include: Rick Black (1963,Ottawa); Brian Bentley, Mike Norcott, Don Campbell, Peter Ferguson (1965, Ottawa); John Ball (1966, Ottawa); Andy Smith (1970, Montreal, third round); Bruce McMillan (1973, Ottawa, second round); Mike Oulton (Montreal, eight round); Wayne Sudsbury (1974, Toronto, fourth round); Steve Fudge (Calgary,sixth round); Barry Cozack (1976, Hamilton, second round); Brian Johnston (1977, Montreal, seventh round); Mark Bohan (Montreal, tenth round); Brian Meagher (1980, Calgary, seventh round); Terry Baker (1984, Montreal, eighthround); Bloyce Bulman (1985, Montreal, fifth round); Peter Hess (1986, Montreal, fourth round); Paul Johnson (Montreal, seventh round); Randy Power (1990, Calgary, seventh round); Phillippe Girard (1998, Edmonton, first round); Eric Lapointe (1999, Edmonton, third round); Sebastian Roy (2003, Winnipeg, fourth round); Derrick Fury (Toronto, fifth round); David Throne (2004, Edmonton, sixth round); Akwasi Antwi (2011, Calgary, fourth round); and Mike Filer (2012, Calgary, fifth round).
The Ron Joyce Centre Presents Speakers Series was established in 2012 and aims to bring nationally and internationally renowned speakers to campus each year to address important issues impacting the world of business. It is part of the enhanced programming for Mount Allison’s Commerce program made possible through a $5-million gift from Tim Hortons’ co-founder Ron Joyce, which resulted in the creation of the Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies in 2008. The university pledged to match that gift, and the financial support for the speakers series comes from a gift that is part of the University’s JUMP fund raising. Amanda Lang, senior business correspondent for CBC News and co-anchor of The Lang & O’Leary Exchange on CBC News Network was the first speaker in the series in 2012.
