Dave
Carey

Dave Carey has spent a lifetime developing the sport of volleyball in Ontario and across the country. He began his journey as a player for the University of Victoria and then with the Scarborough Solars in the 1970s and 1980s. While with the Solars, Dave turned his attention to the administration of the club, becoming a member of the Board in 1980 and then President in 1996. In addition to his administrative roles, Dave also dedicated time to coaching within the club.

Dave then stepped into various roles with the Ontario Volleyball Association, becoming Vice President in 1988 and then President from 1989 to 1993. During his tenure as an Executive, many advances were made in the governance and operations of the Association, including developing new job descriptions for the executive director and other staff, and introducing a volunteer recognition program for volunteers and athletes. As President, one of his contributions was creating a funding program for the Canadian National Teams, the first of its kind. At the same time, he also served as the regional director of the Canadian Volleyball Association, now Volleyball Canada. In this capacity, Dave played a significant role on the World League Committee in the first attempt to get Canada selected to participate. He was responsible for hosting FIVB Executives, which led to Canada’s acceptance into the league. During his time, he spearheaded an aggressive direct mailing campaign to Canada's major television networks to successfully gain their support. 

In 1992, Dave was elected Vice President of Volleyball Canada, a position he held until 2000 when he was elected President. While serving as President, Dave was instrumental in introducing a new governance structure, removing regional representation, resulting in improved decision-making and operational efficiencies. His tenure also included the development of a new regional assessment program to generate additional funds from the regional members. During this period, Dave was also involved as a FIVB World League Supervisor.

Dave was actively involved with the Outdoor Volleyball Committee (including the women’s World Championship and Olympic Bronze Medal Team), Sport Organizing Committee, and National Officials Committee. As chair, Dave helped to introduce new policies and procedures, changing the focus on qualifying for the London Olympics, which resulted in two teams qualifying for the Games.

While serving as Vice President, he was selected as the official Canadian delegate to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and later as the Canadian delegate to the 2012 London Olympics. Dave was appointed as a delegate from Volleyball Canada to attend FIVB International Congresses in Atlanta, Argentina, Switzerland, Portugal, and Japan (twice). He also acted as Head of Delegation for numerous national team competitions in Canada and abroad. Dave was actively involved in developing the National Team's quadrennial plan for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. 

Following his time as President, Dave continued his involvement with Volleyball Canada, serving as the chair of the High-Performance Beach Committee and Chair of the Nominations Committee.

Dave has been recognized for his involvement in the sport on numerous occasions, including as the Volleyball Canada Volunteer of the Year in 1992 and a Special Achievement Award from the Province of Ontario in 1997. Dave was also recognized as an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Ontario Volleyball Association in 2007 and then inducted into the Ontario Volleyball Association Hall of Fame in 2018. One of Dave’s notable achievements was being included in the book “Made in Canada Leadership: Wisdom from the Nation's Best and Brightest on the Art and Practice of Leadership.”

Dave Carey’s impact on the sport and Volleyball Canada is immeasurable, and today, we are honoured to induct him as a Builder into the Volleyball Canada Hall of Fame for his work as an administrator, visionary, and leader in our sport.