Swimming Canada Brings Back Michelle Killins in New Role
Swimming Canada on Wednesday announced the hiring of Michelle Killins as the Associate Director of Sport Development.
Killins worked for the organization from 2014-17 as its senior manager of domestic operations. She served for eight years with the Canadian Paralympic Committee as its director of the paralympic system, leading initiatives in athletes services, classification, performance science and safe sport ad well as coaching and leadership development.
At the CPC, she led a 10-year strategic plan renewal, working with international sport partners. She has led the health services team at Paralympics Games, and was a COVID Liaison Officer at the Tokyo 2021 and Beijing 2022 Paralympics.
Killins replaces Jocelyn Jay, who transitioned to a new position as the Associate High Performance Director of the Paralympic Program.
“It’s coming back home to my sport and to my roots a time where I can see so much growth,” Killins said in a press release. “I’m passionate about sport development and really do feel that without all the components supporting along the way – coaches educated, officials trained, properly developed athletes – you’re not going to have a solid high performance structure.”
Killins was a swimmer at the University of Toronto, captaining the team as she earned her bachelor’s degree in economics and psychology. She oversaw coaching education and the National Coaching Certification Program, as well as athlete development strategies and a review of competitions, in her previous stint with Swimming Canada.
In her new role, Killins will lead athlete, coach and official development programs and oversee events for domestic and international swimmers. She will be the primary contact with the Coaching Association of Canada and Canada Games Council and ensure oversee integration of Swimming Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic programs.
“We’re thrilled to have Michelle come back to Swimming Canada,” Swimming Canada CEO Suzanne Paulins said. “She brings a depth of strength and leadership that will be a tremendous asset to our organization. Her para sport knowledge and expertise in classification will be especially valuable as we continue to strengthen our integration of Olympic and Paralympic programs. Michelle’s return is an exciting step forward for our team.”
