The Final Exam is your chance to get to know leaders in the industry. For the May/June 2026 issue, Campus Rec Magazine spoke with Saleé Johnson-Edwards, the associate director of Recreation & Community Engagement at Brock University.
1. How did you get started in the industry?
I’ve been in the world of sports and recreation from a young age, whether it was playing with the local basketball club team or participating on every school sports team you can imagine. As I reflect on my journey, it was destined for me to eventually have a career in this industry after my playing and coaching days were over. I started as a sports and camp supervisor, looking after summer camps at Toronto Community Housing. I eventually landed a supervisor role, leading all the recreational programs for kids and seniors on the west side of the city. I then took a role as a programmer for the rec department for the City of Brampton. After a few years as a programmer, I stepped into the role of program coordinator and got a chance to oversee all the community programs and events at my rec center. This led to my current role as the associate director at Brock University, where I’m beyond blessed to help lead the Sports and Recreation department for the institution and region of Niagara.
2. How would you describe campus recreation at Brock University?
Brock Recreation is a place where our community comes together to move, learn and grow. We create experiences that are innovative, engaging and grounded in quality. Our Sports and Recreation department focuses on opening doors for students by providing diverse opportunities that support personal development, progressive skill-building and meaningful involvement through a continuum of activities. Our state-of-the-art facilities are a staple in the region, offering students and community members a wide range of recreational programming from aquatics and fitness to summer camps and more. We’re committed to creating welcoming spaces and environments where everyone on campus and in the region feels a sense of belonging. We’re always looking at ways to remove barriers, foster inclusion, and support a healthy, balanced lifestyle that develops life skills and creates experiences that are genuinely fun and memorable. These principles guide how we design programs, offer a variety of services and provide spaces of inclusion.
3. What’s been one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced throughout your career?
I’m not sure I can find a singular moment I’d identify as the biggest challenge, but a common factor I struggle with in this sector is when we’re not able to provide a service or programming need for a participant. Those barriers could be things like cost or financial challenges, lack of personnel or support for integration or facility demands. This is something I know many campus rec professionals face. As leaders, we can’t be everything for everyone, and it’s not a great feeling when barriers can’t be resolved or take longer than we’d like. Recreation is meant to be an opportunity for all who want to engage in meaningful movement, leisure activities and relationship building with other participants. When these barriers block participation and the solution is not an easy fix, those are the challenges that stick out to me the most.
4. What’s been one of the biggest accomplishments of your career?
It’s been a full-circle moment for me to be a senior administrator in a recreation department at the post-secondary level. As a former student-athlete, then coach and now an associate director, this has given me a chance to be at all levels of a department. It’s an accomplishment I’m very proud of. Being involved in multiple layers of a university sports and rec department, I truly see the beauty in how it’s all connected, and I get to use my personal, lived experiences to bring a wide lens of the benefits of all areas of sports and rec. Working with my team of amazing professionals and leaders, I’m excited for the future and overall growth of the department, especially on the rec side, as we continue to expand our reach for our students and our community members.
5. What’s one lesson you’ve learned that other recreation professionals might benefit from?
I’d say to never doubt your ability to make an impact and lasting impression with the work you do. We all come to the table with a unique perspective and a different voice. It’s imperative you never let anyone silence your goals and dreams. From my own experiences, I sat at tables with other decision-makers many times and it felt lonely. I wondered if my voice held any weight. But I decided a long time ago that my voice mattered, my work and impact on the sector were making a difference, and regardless of who was in the room, I was going to share what I had to share. We might not see the immediate impact our programs and interactions have on someone in this field, but when you have a young person thank you for the time and energy you invested in them, or for including a minor detail in a program that meant the world to them because they felt included, those are the moments you hold on to. Those are the times that remind you that what you’re doing does make a difference. Your voice will open doors for others in ways you may never fully see yourself.
6. What’s one fun fact about yourself that others may not know?
I absolutely love to sing. I’ve been a singer all my life, and I even attended a fine arts school for the last two years of elementary school. Just like sports, singing has always been a part of my life. In rare moments, both passions intersect. During my senior day game back in university in the U.S., a teammate and close friend of mine sang the Canadian national anthem. Recently, I was able to bring this love of music and singing to Brock and had the privilege of helping to sing the anthem at this year’s All for Change basketball games in honor of our Black History and African Heritage Month celebrations. If I’m not playing a sport, you can find me singing a song.
