U SPORTS, the national brand of university sport in Canada, is pleased to announce the nomination of Tara Hahto to the position of Chief Operating Officer, effective September 14, 2026. In this role, she will focus on advancing U SPORTS’ long-term vision, strategy, and growth, with particular attention to strategic leadership, governance, operations, finance, human resources, partner relations, and revenue generation.

Tara brings more than 15 years of university sport experience to the position, most recently serving as U SPORTS Director of Compliance and Eligibility for the past six years. In this role, she oversaw compliance and discipline processes, led U SPORTS anti-doping education, and oversaw changes to U SPORTS eligibility, recruiting, and athletic scholarship policies. She also played a pivotal role in developing and implementing the U SPORTS Central student-athlete registration portal.

A former varsity athlete, Tara competed for the Boise State University Broncos. She earned a Bachelor of Mass Communications and Journalism and a Master of Liberal Arts at Texas Christian University, where she also served as an assistant coach for swimming and diving. She was also a member of the Canadian Paralympic Mission staff at the 2015 Toronto Parapan Am Games and the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.

“We are excited and proud to welcome Tara to the role of Chief Operating Officer. Through her leadership of our eligibility and athletic financial awards programs, Tara has helped our system navigate some of the most complex and consequential initiatives we have encountered. We look forward to the significant positive impact she will have in her new role as we continue to elevate student-athlete experiences in Canada,” said Pierre Arsenault, U SPORTS Chief Executive Officer

“Varsity sports have been pivotal in my life, as a student-athlete, coach, and now administrator, and I’m incredibly grateful to be able to continue to contribute to the great work that we do at the national office to progress university sport in Canada. I look forward to working with our staff and our member institutions to enhance this amazing home-grown product that we have running on campuses across the country,” said Hahto.