December 20, 2012 (Canmore, AB) – The Board of Directors of Fast and Female announces the departure of Marie-Hélène (M&H) Thibeault following more than four years of dedication to the program as Executive Director.

M&H, alumni of the Canadian alpine ski team, started with the organization in 2009. At that time, Fast and Female’s program consisted of a single event in cross country skiing reaching 150 young women.

“It is with mixed emotions that I’m stepping down from my role of Executive Director,” said M&H. “The last four years have been extremely enriching for me and definitively surpassed all my expectations with regards to where this fantastic program could go! Much of this awesomeness was achieved thanks to the amazing ambassadors, colleagues, sponsors, donors, volunteers, and supporters who have all contributed in different ways to helping us empower girls through inspiring programming. I’m extremely proud of where the program is presently and I know it’s in a fantastic position to continue growing and reaching more young women.”

In 2012, Fast and Female hosted more than 25 events in Canada, the US and Australia in a broad variety of sports and impacted more than 1,500 young women and their families. In addition to expanding its signature events for young women ages 9 to 19, Fast and Female’s programming has also grown to feature online content such as Fast and Female TV on You Tube and the Fast and Female Facebook page – all of which are intended to support the retention of young women in sports. A new programming element was recently launched called the Fast and Female Power Hour, which hopes to encourage local clubs to host their own small Fast and Female activities to help support the athletic and personal development of their young female members.

“M&H’s work has been impressive on all fronts, but Kikkan and I feel that her rock-solid prioritization of making a difference in the lives of our participants has been amazing,” said Fast and Female President and Founder, Chandra Crawford. “Her passion for empowering young women through sport has brought our programming to thousands of young women. She brought so many great ambassadors and sponsors on board and grew our community. Her deep caring has always kept us in line with the values that matter most,” added the 2006 Olympic gold medalist in cross country ski racing who launched Fast and Female in 2005 out of a need to see more girls stick to sports.

As an MBA graduate, M&H hopes to return to the corporate world in the Calgary region to apply her skills in marketing, communications, brand and culture development, as well as program management. She also hopes to take advantage of the next months to spend time with her family which includes two young children – Thomas (age 4) and Zoe (age 1).

The Fast and Female Board has launched a global search for a new Executive Director and hopes to have a new person in position by mid to late January.

“As the Board of Directors looks ahead, we are looking to bring on board a new Executive Director who can harness Fast and Female’s inspiring message and empower another generation of girls committed to the healthy lifestyle,” said Ted Kalil, Fast and Female Board member and lead on the recruitment process.

The complete job description can be found HERE. The deadline to submit a résumé and cover letter is January 7, 2013.

“While M&H leaves some highly energetic, well-qualified boots to fill, we are excited about the hiring phase and have a lot of support from our Board of Directors as we search for a new force to keep blazing the Fast and Female trail,” concluded Chandra.

M&H will remain in part-time position until a new Executive Director is in place in January.