The Basketball Victoria Annual General Meeting was held last week, which farewelled some amazing servants of our game and ushered in a new era, including a historical moment for the new President.
Michelle Bruggeman created history, by becoming the first woman to be elected as the President of Basketball Victoria.
Current COO of Levande (Lifestyle Living for over 55s) and former Director of Melbourne Zoo and YMCA, Bruggeman comes with extensive experience in the not-for-profit sector, specifically strategic planning, and has the drive and enthusiasm to continue participation growth in our sport through stakeholder engagement, governance, and education.
Her passion, experience and love for the sport has stemmed from when she was five years old as a player, then graduating to coach as she got older, volunteering, and then as a parent watching her own children hit the court.
Bruggeman, having served on the Board already for 2 years, is excited to help lead the continued strategic growth of basketball in this state, and ensuring the leadership team and staff have the right tools in place to support associations deliver the best product.
“The Board is looking forward to growing our position on diversity, increasing awareness and education on child safety whilst growing stakeholder engagement, especially with our key associations to learn and understand what the governing body can deliver for them from a community level” Bruggeman said.
The AGM also brought in two new board members in Rob Hyatt and Dr Steve Swanson, to take the outgoing seats of Katie Rowe and Becky Hyde, while Bruggeman was voted in by the Board post the AGM to take the vacant leadership position left by Mike Bainbridge. With one position remaining vacant, the board has the task of appointing a candidate in the following weeks.
Swanson and Hyatt offer a diverse wealth of knowledge in governance and strategic planning, research, major events and stakeholder management.
Dr Steve Swanson is a Senior Lecturer for Sports Management at Deakin University and has an extensive coaching record in the NCAA, NJCAA, Scotland and England.
He is excited about the impact he can make to the Victorian Basketball Community, through his new position, “I’m extremely excited and honoured to join the Basketball Victoria team as a member of the Board of Directors. I’ve felt very welcomed so far and am looking forward to working with the Board and organisational members to further develop the game.”
Rob Hyatt is the Manager of the Koori Heritage Trust, who is an advocate for inclusive practises and inclusiveness across community sports. He is a basketball parent and knows what it is like to divide and conquer on a Friday night to get his children to their VJBL games across the state, with these experiences giving him an intimate knowledge of basketball from a grass roots perspective, especially from association and community level.
“I am particularly keen to understand how we can help the associations continue to build their participation rates while ensuring there are sustainable strategies in place for retention across all facets of community basketball.” Hyatt said.
As we welcome our new President and board members, we say a fond farewell to the outgoing President, Mike Bainbridge, who has been on the board since 2014 and was elected President in 2016. Mike’s passion and drive ensured the organisation was successful in executing the Board’s strategic plans for the sport in Victoria that offered growth, opportunity, and governance across all levels of basketball.
The outgoing general Board members, Katie Rowe and Becky Hyde have both held their positions since 2017 and have been highly active in offering their governance, leadership, and expertise across the organisation. We thank them for their time, service, and passion they brought to their roles and the organisation.
