Candidate Bios

BOD ELECTION

Here are the rules for casting your votes:

  1. Each registered player receives one vote.
  2. Families that have multiple players may cast votes for each player (i.e two players equals two votes)
  3. There are 4 positions open, so each player may vote for each of the 4 open positions (you will select as many as 4 names for each registered player)
  4. Each player can only vote for the same person once. A vote cannot be cast for the same person for all 4 positions. For example, if you only choose to vote for two positions, you must select two different names and you may leave the other two positions blank.

Voting will take place beginning today and ending at midnight on Feb 19th.

CANDIDATE BIOS

Danielle Webster - incumbent 

Danielle Corrigan-Webster began her career at the young age of nineteen, when she took over as owner/operator of three General Nutrition Center stores in Durham, Hillsborough, and Sanford. In 2007, she took over as President for Hillandale Soccer Association, a 650-player soccer organization, as well as served on the Board of Directors for two years where she spearheaded many new programs and initiatives.  She soon cracked open the door to the hockey world by becoming the President of the Carolina Eagles for two years, and the scheduler for ten teams two years after.

As of late, Danielle has emerged as an important piece to the continued success of the Carolina Junior Hurricanes. She has served on the Junior Hurricanes Board of Directors and has been a team manager for seven seasons with the Carolina Eagles and Junior Hurricanes. Along with managing these teams, she served as the scheduler for the past five years providing over 30  teams per year with favorable, complete schedules, managed ice slots and served as the head manager of managers with the Junior Hurricanes.  She has not only done this under normal circumstances, but has proven herself to function well under less favorable circumstances as well. During the troubling hockey season of 2020-21 amidst the global pandemic surrounding COVID-19, she has managed to continue to provide the Junior Hurricanes with over 451 games played through the month of December, averaging six more games per team than the state average.  Danielle brings a dedication to give the youth hockey players of North Carolina the best possible experience. All three of her children have played in the Junior Hurricanes and/or Carolina Eagles systems for a span of 12 years, so she knows the ins and outs of youth hockey. With her business savvy, management style, and hockey experience over the past 24 years, she provides honest yet kind responses to issues and has proven herself to be an efficient problem solver.  Danielle would be a wonderful addition to the Board of Directors.

Ben Swain - incumbent

I’m honored to have the opportunity to seek re-election as President of the Carolina Junior Hurricanes.

When I was first elected in 2021, our Board of Directors was coming out of a time of significant change with the 2019 RYAH/Eagles merger that formed the association we have today.

With the new association in place, the biggest challenge I’ve faced during the year and a half that I’ve served as President is managing the “what now?” of the post-merger, post-Covid timeline. First and foremost, the answer to “what now?” has been to protect the best interests of our current and future membership. We’ve done so by:

  • establishing our short-term and long-term vision so that families know exactly what sets the Junior Canes apart, and our hockey leadership can build programming that caters to what our members want from us
  • kickstarting the long process of defining what our culture is as an association and a Junior Canes community
  • challenging our hockey leadership to simplify programs and create efficiency, which has allowed them to provide a level of programming that’s not available anywhere else at a comparable price
  • empowering our membership to create and run initiatives like our Junior Canes concession stand program that’s allowed some of our families to cover the entire cost of their dues with credit earned
  • encouraging and enabling our hockey leadership team to innovate and try new things, and supporting them by quickly making adjustments if the innovations aren’t adding value

What’s next beyond “what now?”

As the Triangle becomes one of the fastest growing hockey markets in the US, the youth hockey community wears a huge bullseye. Prior to my time as a hockey parent, I was a Director for a nationally-competitive youth soccer association. Where youth hockey is right now in North Carolina is where youth soccer was during my time in soccer leadership. We can become what soccer has become in North Carolina where there’s tremendous opportunity to develop and compete the right way, or we can become what hockey has become in some markets across our region where politics, business and ego has led to a severely diminished experience for the athletes. I look forward to leveraging the strong relationships we’ve built with USA Hockey, CAHA, the Carolina Hurricanes, PHHL, and other strategic partners to ensure that youth hockey in our area puts athletes and families first, and to keep the Junior Canes at the forefront of doing what’s best for our youth hockey community.

Stephanie Tomko

Stephanie moved with her family to Apex, North Carolina in August of 2022 from Austin, TX to be closer to family and to allow for her daughter to play for the Jr. Canes Girls Premier team. She believes in the integrity of the Junior Canes program and wants to see it continue to grow. Stephanie has prior experience developing youth hockey organizations. In Austin, she co-founded the Girls Hockey Club of Austin in 2019 and was regional liaison for Team Texas hockey which was administered by the Dallas Stars Elite organization. Stephanie has valuable experience in fundraising and partner development. She has raised millions of dollars for nonprofits over her career as a non-profit executive and consultant. As an executive director for Little Smiles of Philadelphia, she planned and executed dozens of events responsible for over half of the budget, managed the executive board, 13 partner nonprofit relationships and grew sponsorship including a partnership with the Philadelphia Eagles which still exists today. In Austin, TX, Stephanie founded a collective giving group Work.Lead.Give., served on the board for Sammy’s House which is a daycare and school for medically fragile children and was an active member of her kids PTA where she raised almost $400k in three years through event planning. Today Stephanie owns her own marketing consultancy, where she advises on the perfect balance of passion, strategy and logistics that she has used for decades to make a difference for kids, athletes and nonprofits. She holds a bachelors degree from the University of Delaware and is the proud mom of two Junior Canes, Justin (13U) and Meghan (19U Premier Girls).

Phil Lucey

My name is Phil Lucey, and I am running to be a part of the Junior Canes Board of Directors.

My goal in this position is to help promote the mission of the Junior Canes organization, increase transparency and communication between the organization and our hockey families, and ensure the organization’s core values are met at every age and skill level.

We have the best hockey organization in the area. It is important to me that the core values that set us apart from the rest are put into practice by our coaches and that our players have every opportunity to play and develop. With those values in place, our families will see the value in their hockey investment and continue to be a part of the Junior Canes family.

My professional career and experience will benefit the Junior Canes Board of Directors. I am the executive director of the North Carolina Press Association (a 501 (c)(6) organization) and the North Carolina Press Foundation (a 501 (c)(3) organization), leading a board of 16 directors to manage our association. In addition, I have been leading board-governed trade associations across the country for the past 19 years. I am honored to serve on various boards, including the NC Open Government Coalition, NC Education Lottery Stakeholder Advisory Panel, NCPA Federal Credit Union (Secretary), Association Executives of NC (president-elect), and the Newspaper Association Managers (national association board). Previously I have served on the boards of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government and the New Mexico Society of Association Executives.

I met my wife, Christine, while playing adult league hockey. Both of us grew up with the game and continue to have fun playing. We have two children: Cole,10, a member of the 10U Red Jr Canes team, and Keira, 8, a house league participant. Christine and I have both volunteered as coaches at the house and travel league levels. In addition to continuing coaching, I look forward to giving back to our hockey community by serving on the Junior Canes Board of Directors.

Kevin Hoverman

My name is Kevin Hoverman and I am the proud father of three great kids, James (14U White), Avery (12) and Mia (8) and husband to Ellen.  I am the President and Founder of J|A|M Sales and Leadership Coaching and Director of Business Development for YSoft North America.  I've been an executive at a Fortune 500 company, started two companies from scratch and worked in  private, medium sized companies selling imaging technology, SaaS & IaaS, and even coffee business-to-business. James has been involved with the Jr Canes for the past two seasons and Mia has been involved with PHHL for the past three seasons.  I also have a nephew, Brady (8) who competed with the Super 8s this year and is on track to join the Jr Canes 10U program next season.  As a family we believe strongly in continued improvement and continued development while keeping the athletes’ best interests at heart and have found a home with the Jr Canes.  We’ve been blessed to have had some great coaches, but more importantly, great people, in our time with the Canes that have truly lived up to the goals of the organization. I am fortunate to be the son of a great coach (my father, James Hoverman, is in the New England Wrestling Hall of Fame) and have been an active coach in my communities; however, I didn’t play hockey.  I’d like to give back to this organization that we are so involved with and feel my skills would help.  I’ve worked with several charities over the years as a volunteer but feel ready to take the next step and join a board.  In my 20+ years in sales, leadership, and management I have planned and hosted events, been on the front lines of fundraising (I have no fear picking up a phone or knocking on a door to ask people and businesses for support) and created leadership and development curriculums for high-performance corporate teams.  What gets me the most fired up though is helping the next generation of leaders grow, through skill development, team building, personal development, and competition.  This is how we can continue to build a legacy for the Jr Canes organization and the athletes we support.

Bernie Stooks

As both of my children (daughter in 16U AAA and son in 14U AA) have been part of the Carolina Junior Canes for the past four years, I have seen firsthand how the program has provided the perfect platform for the personal growth of young athletes. Actively participating from the sidelines for years, I am proud my family is associated with an organization that strives to help dedicated girls and boys unlock their potential in the rink and in life by teaching the fundamentals of perseverance, resilience and commitment. For this reason and others, I am interested in further contributing to the success of the program as a Board of Directors member.

Relocating from New York in 1996 to join the 82nd Airborne in Fort Bragg, the Army set the foundation for my strong beliefs in hard work and contributing to the team culture. These beliefs have also been the backbone to my professional career in healthcare IT for more than two decades.

Through my diverse professional experiences, I can offer the program tangible best practices and learnings in budgeting and resource allocation, especially to offset travel costs for families and the Junior Canes. Also, with extensive experience in contract negotiations, vendor relationships and risk mitigation, I can help ensure we better anticipate operational roadblocks and fine tune oversight of processes and systems with enhanced transparency and communication.

However, more than my work experience, I want to emphasize that my passion to see generations of kids and families be a part of the Jr. Canes is what I can offer as a Board of Directors member.

It is safe to say that life is hectic for all, with unique challenges to address on a daily basis. But, it is important to me to not lose sight of what truly matters when growing with our families and community, and that is a sense of “we”, not “me”. The Junior Canes embody that feeling and culture.  With your vote, I am hopeful to join the Board and help ensure many more kids have that positive experience to shape their skills both on the ice and off.

Chris Kirk

Chris Kirk is a West Point graduate, active-duty Army Colonel and Special Operations helicopter pilot scheduled to retire in the Summer of 2023. He is also a certified mental performance coach.

Over the course of his 25-year military career, Chris has served in many leadership and advisory positions to include Command of a 750-person special operations aviation battalion. He has advised several senior military and government officials throughout his career, helping to chart the strategic direction of several organizations.

Chris has been involved with the Junior Canes since 2019 as a parent and assistant coach. He has a passion for hockey and is interested in joining the board of directors to further advance the program and enhance community outreach.

Ray Irvine

Hello, my name is Ray Irvine. I am seeking a position on the Junior Canes BOD.

I am married to my wife of 14 years, Shannon Irvine. Shan is very active with the Junior Canes concessions volunteer program and helps to coordinate it. Together, we have three children -- Jax (12U AAA), Brayden (9U Red), and Brynn. I grew up in Queensbury, NY (Lake George area), and moved to Raleigh in 2007. I am a graduate of Binghamton University with a B.S. Mathematics and I have had a long career at IQVIA (formerly Quintiles) in various financial and strategy roles. I am currently Sr Director, Financial Performance, Clinical Operations.

I have been coaching hockey for 5 years. I am a level 4 USA Hockey certified coach and the head coach of the Junior Canes 9U Red team. I have also been the Strength and Conditioning coach for Jax’s team for the last 4 seasons. I've also coached Junior Canes Super 8 for two seasons, been an assistant coach for the Carolina Eagles Super 8 team, and I’ve been a PHHL head coach for several seasons. Outside of hockey I have been coaching, teaching, and working with youth and adults for over 20 years. I’ve invested 3 years as a youth wrestling coach, 2 years as a math tutor at Adirondack Community College, 4 years as a high school small group leader at my local church, 6 years as a group discussion leader in Bible Study Fellowship, and I have worked with several men from Healing Transitions to help them in their addiction recovery. I love Jesus, I love my family, and I love being a coach.

I am accepting the nomination and seeking a position on the Junior Canes BOD because I love and believe in the Junior Canes youth hockey association. Every Junior Canes participant should have the best experience possible, and we should stand out as the best among the competition, no exceptions. I want to ensure all coaching staff help their players be their best and learn to enjoy working hard. I also want to see the Junior Canes have a larger community presence through service opportunities, connections to businesses, charities, and strategic partners.

Carrie Bowden

I was born and raised in NC and graduated from NCState University. I spent a number of years with Law Enforcement and graduated as only the 13th women from the NC State Highway Patrol. Another few years as a fire fighter for the City of Durham. I graduated from Nursing school and worked in Trauma ICU at UNC. Now, I am a Healthcare Fraud Investigator.

I am a level II Coach in USA Hockey and serve on both the Girls and Honor the Game committees with CAHA.  I have been coaching in polar and Jr. Canes for 3 years. I have two Jr Canes Player, 9U boys and 12U Girls.

Ben Jones

I am a Raleigh native and a second year Junior Canes parent, and I’d love the opportunity to help guide the future of the Junior Canes organization from the perspective of a family with a player just starting their journey through the program. I have more than a decade of experience working in professional and collegiate sports, in addition to serving on various boards, including the NC Baseball Museum. I believe that prior experience, combined with my current work in sales leadership and my deep ties to the local community, can be applied directly to the benefit of the Junior Canes organization.