Who We Are
Dixie History
Dixie Curling Centre was incorporated on March 1, 1956 and is celebrating its 70th season of curling in 2026-27. A six-sheet club with growing participation of over 600 people of all ages, Dixie has established a reputation for hospitality, good curling, good fellowship and sportsmanship. Dixie is a member-driven, open and inviting space, striving to grow the game of curling and provide a social environment for all ages. Dixie operates as a not-for-profit organization and is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors.
Our Mission
To grow curling for all ages and skill levels through a welcoming social community, with accessible year-round sport, leisure and social programming.
Our Vision
A vibrant, year-round hub where people of all backgrounds connect through curling and leisure, supported by inclusive facilities and engaging programs that build lasting community and well-being.
Our Values
- Community: We create belonging through sport and social connection, powered by friendship, teamwork and volunteerism.
- Inclusion: We welcome people of all ages, abilities, identities and backgrounds, treating everyone with fairness, respect and dignity.
- Sustainability: We steward our finances and facilities to sustain and improve our programs.
- Excellence: We deliver quality programs, spaces and service that are inviting to newcomers and a source of pride for members.
- Growth: We develop curlers and grow the sport, while strengthening DCC as a year-round community hub for sport, leisure and social activities.
Board of Directors 2026-27
Joanne Bishop - Chair (elected 2024)
Joanne joined DCC in 2010. She has been an active volunteer ever since, giving her time to every league she participates in and DCC in general. Joanne is semi-retired after 43 years working in the medical laboratory sector including 18 years in leadership within government, Ontario Medical Association (lab section), and community and teaching hospitals. An analytical strategist who optimizes a common-sense, thoughtful approach to strengthen collaborations, Joanne is currently self-employed, consulting for a small private-niche laboratories, providing strategic advice to ensure that they operate within the scope of relevant legislations and managing accreditation events to maintain compliance.
Trisha Nixon - Vice Chair (elected 2025)
Trisha Nixon joined Dixie in 2023 after participating in the Learn to Curl program, and quickly became hooked on the sport. She now plays in the Friday Night Social league and the Wednesday Night Ladies league. Trisha brings 25 years of experience in construction management and currently serves as the Director of Project Management at Daniels Corporation, where she oversees high-rise, mid-rise, and low-rise developments with retail components. She manages construction budgets, trades, and consultants. She is particularly interested in supporting facility upgrades and improvements to Dixie’s aging infrastructure, helping to ensure the club remains a welcoming and functional space for all members.
Michael Leswick - Treasurer, Finance Chair (elected 2025)
Michael Leswick has been part of Dixie since 2017 and plays on both competitive and social nights. Michael spent his career as a finance executive with a Canadian bank, developing expertise in financial oversight, governance, and strategic planning while serving as a director for two wholly owned subsidiaries. He brings strong skills in analyzing complex issues, simplifying challenges, and finding pragmatic solutions—always with an inclusive, team-oriented mindset. He Known for his dry humour and positive outlook, Michael values collaboration and keeping the process enjoyable. Having recently transitioned to independent consulting, he is excited to dedicate his time and financial acumen to supporting Dixie’s long-term stability and growth, while helping the club strengthen its role as an inclusive, vibrant community for curling.
Meredith Czaniecki - Secretary (elected 2025)
Meredith Czaniecki has been a dedicated Dixie member since 2009, first joining the Friday Night Social league to try a new sport and spend time with her dad. Over the years, she expanded her play into the Wednesday Mixed, Thursday CYOR, Monday Skins, and Tuesday Afternoon leagues, gaining experience as both a recreational and competitive curler. Beyond the ice, Meredith has contributed through the Social Committee and by helping to promote Dixie at community festivals. Professionally, she is a teacher with extensive committee leadership experience at both the school and board levels, and has successfully secured grant funding for programs supporting students. Meredith brings a unique dual perspective as someone who began as a brand-new curler and later represented Ontario at the National Curling Club Championships. She is passionate about creating opportunities for curlers of all levels, including workshops on skills, strategy, and team dynamics, as well as fostering community pride through initiatives such as a Championship Day.
Roz Gough - Past Chair (elected 2022)
Roz joined Dixie in 2012. During her time at the centre, she’s played typically 2-3 times a week in various competitive and social leagues. During here tenure on the DCC board, Roz has spearheaded a number key initiatives including membership data and rate structure analysis. In addition she has assisted DCC in personnel hirings and provide expertise in human resource management. Roz has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Guelph and nearly 20 years of leadership experience in Human Resources. She has worked in various industries, including not-for-profit. Currently, Roz is a senior manager with a global logistics organization.
Bryan Brochu - Director (elected 2023)
Bryan fell in love with curling after taking a Learn To Curl in November 2018. He joined DCC in 2019. Curling fulfills all the elements Bryan looks for in sports: health, exercise, learning new skills, competition, camaraderie. Bryan brings to the DCC board a wealth of knowledge and experience gained from a career in the financial services sector including the past 20 years with CIBC. His passion is process improvement through analytics and project management. He loves to build teams, help to improve businesses, support the growth of teammates and learn lessons along the way. Bryan served two terms as DCC Treasurer.
Patty Matsuo - Director (elected 2024)
Patty joined DCC in 2015 directly out of a Learn To Curl program. Staring in a social league, Patty now curls in competitive and social leagues, sparing whenever she can. Curling has afforded her an opportunity to learn a new sport later in life, but more importantly, provided a new social network. Patty has a leadership role at the Trillium Health Network in Mississauga with expertise in organizational transition, building team and structure, and working with government agencies as partners. Patty is a past-president of the Ontario Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists of Ontario and most recently a director of Speech and Audiology Canada.
Janet Niskanen - Director (elected 2024)
Janet has been a member at DCC since 2018 but took her first Learn To Curl course in 1988. She has served on the Day Ladies’ section executive including a term as President. Her business experience includes customer service training in the hospitality sector and various roles with the Royal Bank including fraud investigations, estates and mortgages. She is a 15-year volunteer with the Girl Guides of Canada.
Keira McLaughlin - Director (elected 2025)
Since joining Dixie in 2022, Keira has become an active and enthusiastic member both on and off the ice. She plays regularly in the Tuesday and Thursday CYOR leagues, lends a hand with ice making, and serves on the Social Committee, where she helps bring events and community spirit to life. Professionally, Keira works as a software developer, bringing strong communication, planning, and organizational skills to every role she takes on. As a former Ontario Scotties provincial finalist and long-time competitive curler, she also offers a unique perspective on fostering both social and competitive excellence at Dixie. Having been a member at seven curling clubs across Canada, she values the strengths of different club cultures and is eager to help Dixie thrive for the future. Keira is particularly passionate about enhancing social and competitive events, ensuring that curlers of all ages and experience levels feel connected, engaged, and proud to call Dixie their home club.
Emily Cicci - Director (elected 2026)
Emily has been around DCC since 2017 when she joined as Junior playing competitively on the U18 circuit for two years. She now plays in the Friday Night Social and Tuesday Night CYOR leagues. As a graduate of the Schulich Business School, Emily gained a comprehensive understanding of business and non-profit management, including finance, accounting, marketing, communications, and HR. Professionally, she is an inventory planner, where she has gained expertise in data analytics and forecasting. Based on her personal experience, she feels there is an opportunity to improve how we transition junior members into the adult leagues. Finishing the Junior program can leave a gap where young curlers feel uncertain about where to start so they may drop off simply because they don't know how to transition into another league
Debra Hucalak - Director (elected 2026)
Debra joined Dixie in 2019 curling in the evening women’s league before moving the Day Women’s section 4:15 leagues. She was a member of the 2023 Mini Majors Regional Championship team. She brings more than 27 years of experience in market research analytics and census demographics, with a career that progressed from analyst and software trainer to product manager and senior analyst serving OEMs and customers in the automotive industry. These roles required strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, problem solving, communication, accountability and the ability to manage complex projects and priorities. She aims to use her analytical and process-improvement experience to identify practical ways to make club operations more efficient and improve the member experience.
Ted Matsui - Director (elected 2026)
Ted has been a member at DCC since 2018 playing in various leagues including Friday Night Social, Monday Night Mens, and Day Men. Now retired, Ted has worked for more than 40 years as a civil engineer and IT professional. He brings to the Board experience in trouble shooting and problem-solving complex issues. He hopes to bring new ideas and perspectives to DCC operations and governance. He is analytical, technical and enjoys learning how things operate and function.
COMMITTEES and TASK FORCES
GRANTS COMMITTEE
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Micheal Leswick (Finance Advisor)
FINANCE COMMITTEE
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Micheal Leswick (Chair)
Mike Genjaga -
Patrick McConnell (Staff support)
MARKETING COMMITTEE
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Andrew Kwiatkowski (Chair)
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Jeff Trudeau
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Deb Reeves
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Kevin Genjaga (Staff Support)
SOCIAL COMMITTEE
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Janet Niskanen (Chair)
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Keira McLaughlin
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Kevin Genjaga (Staff Support)
BUILDING COMMITTEE
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Trisha Nixon (Chair)
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Patrick McConnell (Staff Support)
70th ANNIVERSAY TASK FORCE
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Patty Matsuo (Chair)
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Janet Niskanen
Board of Directors Terms of Office
Each year at the Annual General Meeting, three new Directors are elected to the Board, as three others complete their term. The term of office is four years, and Directors must serve one year before they can hold an Executive Position. These positions include President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. When a Board member has to vacate the position unexpectedly, the Board may nominate an individual to complete the balance of the term.
