Brenda Andress

Founder and President, SheIS

Brenda Andress, is the Founder and President of SheIS. Also known as the “Thought Leader, ” she was the Commissioner of the Canadian Women’s National Hockey League. Brenda has always dedicated herself to her dreams with the strength of passion that enabled her to achieve them and now brings this expertise to the CWHL. Early in her career, Brenda’s work ethic enabled her to rise to upper management in the field of recreation, helping communities stay healthy and fit, ultimately running the city of Newmarket until her appointment as Commissioner of the CWHL. The Hockey News’ “People of Power & Influence” issue named Brenda as one of the individuals identified as “The Power of the Future.”

Always athletic, Brenda discovered hockey at the age of 16 and became the first woman to ever play for a men’s college team. A stroke at the age of 40 thwarted Brenda’s hockey career. Despite having to relearn to do many of life’s basic tasks, she taught herself how to skate again. Her love of hockey took her into refereeing the game she loved, becoming one of the first female hockey referees in Canada, where she eventually achieved one of the highest rankings of Level 6.

In 2014, Brenda received the YWCA Toronto Woman of Distinction Award