Erik Lachance, PhD

Assistant Professor, Sport Management

905 688 5550 x4748
[email protected]

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Dr. Erik L. Lachance is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sport Management at Brock University. Specifically, he is interested in non-profit sport organizations’ board decision making and performance, as well as the experiences of sport event volunteers. His research on sport governance and sport events is internationally recognized. In 2024, he was awarded the inaugural Professor Matilda Van Nierkerk Emerging Events Scholar Award. In 2025, he was named a North American Society for Sport Management Research Fellow. Dr. Lachance received the Best Paper Award from the Tourism and Sport Management Division at the 2022 Administrative Sciences Association of Canada Conference, as well as the Best Paper Award from the International Journal of Sport Management in 2024. He also serves the sport management academy by holding editorial board roles at Case Studies in Sport Management and Event Management, as well as serving as an ad hoc reviewer for other journals and conferences.

Since 2022, Dr. Lachance has taught a variety of sport management courses at Brock University. Currently, he is responsible for courses related to finance, as well as people and culture ecosystems in sport. His teaching philosophy is grounded in constructivism and instructivism, with an emphasis on active and experiential learning.

Beyond research and teaching, Dr. Lachance has accumulated a wide range of practical experience, particularly in prior volunteer roles with non-profit sport organizations (e.g., Ottawa Power Wheelchair Hockey League) and at sport events (e.g., the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games). These experiences have been vital to his research program, which focuses on addressing timely topics in sport organizations and events.

Research Interests

  • Sport governance
  • Decision-making
  • Federated non-profit sport organizations
  • Volunteers
  • Sport events

Professional affiliations and accreditation/certification

  • North American Society for Sport Management
  • European Association for Sport Management
  • Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand
  • Certificate in University Teaching (University of Ottawa, 2021)

Academic Distinctions and Awards

  • Research Fellow, North American Society for Sport Management (2025)
  • Outstanding Reviewer Award, International Journal of Sport Management (2025)
  • Professor Matilda Van Nierkerk Emerging Events Scholar Award (2024)
  • Best Paper Award, International Journal of Sport Management (2024)
  • Best Paper Award, Tourism and Sport Management Division, Administrative Sciences Association of Canada Conference (2022)

Scholarly Publications

Lachance, E. L. (2026). Reflections on investigating sport governance processes. Sport Management Review, 29(2), 372-396. https://doi.org/10.1080/14413523.2025.2598123

Lachance, E. L., & Parent, M. M. (2026). Vertical interlocking and decision making in national and provincial/territorial non-profit sport organization boards. Leisure/Loisir, 50(2), 299-329. https://doi.org/10.1080/14927713.2024.2378801

Lachance, E. L., Lesch, L., Kerwin, S., & Wicker, P. (2026). Empirically linking diversity, equity, and inclusion policy to practice statements and domains. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2026.2633126

Lesch, L., Kerwin, S., Lachance, E. L., & Wicker, P. (2026). Going beyond the check mark: The role of institutional pressures in putting gender DEI policy into HRM practices. Journal of Sport Management, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2025-0212

Lachance, E. L., Millington, B., & Naraine, M. L. (2026). Analytics in the Canadian sport industry: A macro-level analysis of online job advertisements. Sports Innovation Journal, 7, 17-37. https://doi.org/10.18060/29316

Kerwin, S., Lesch, L., Lachance, E. L., & Wicker, P. (2026). Looking under the glass ceiling: Characteristics of sport governing bodies with and without gender equality policies. International Journal of Sport Management, 27(2), 133-154

Naraine, M. L., Séguin, B., Pape, L., Thompson, A., Lachance, E. L., Taks, M., Parent, M. M., & Hoye, R. (2026). Brand management in Canadian national sport organizations. International Journal of Sport Management, 27(2), 109-132.

Lachance, E. L., MacCharles, J., & Kerwin, S. (2026). Reliably unreliable: Exploring the signals sent by non-profit sport governing bodies’ diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. European Sport Management Quarterly, 26(4), 597- 617 https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2025.2578534

Lachance, E. L. (2025). Nonprofit sport organization board members’ engagement in decision making. Journal of Sport Management, 39(4), 275-288. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2024-0199

Lachance, E. L., Thompson, A., Bakhsh, J. T., & Parent, M. M. (2025). Volunteer retention: Examining intentions and behaviours in the wrap-up mode of a recurring small-scale sport event. Managing Sport and Leisure, 30(1), 127-143. https://doi.org/10.1080/23750472.2022.2147859

Lesch, L., Lachance, E. L., Kerwin, S., & Wicker, P. (2025). From gender policies and practices to organisational performance of sport governing bodies. European Sport Management Quarterly, 25(4), 538-558. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2024.2404439

Lachance, E. L., Kerwin, S., & MacCharles, J. (2024). Equity, diversity, and inclusion policies in Canadian nonprofit sport organizations: A management-by-values approach. Journal of Sport Management, 39(6), 434-448. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2024-0064

Lachance, E. L., & Parent, M. M. (2024). A hierarchical cluster analysis of board decision making in non-profit sport organizations. International Journal of Sport Management, 25(2), 1-35.

Lachance, E. L., & Parent, M. M. (2024). Decision making in non-profit sport organization boards: Exploring the role of internal board-level factors. International Journal of Sport Management, 25(1), 73-99.

Lachance, E. L., & Parent, M. M. (2024). The impact of external factors on board decision making in non-profit sport organizations. Sport, Business, and Management: An International Journal. 1-20. Advance online publication: https://doi.org/10.1108/SBM-09-2023-0113

Lachance, E. L., Thompson, A., Bakhsh, J. T., & Parent, M. M. (2024). Sport management or the management of sport? Reframing the theory debate. Sport Management Review, 27(1), 90-110. https://doi.org/10.1080/14413523.2023.2243109

Naraine, M. L., Thompson, A., Lachance, E. L., Séguin, B., Taks, M., Parent, M. M., & Hoye, R. (2024). Examining executive-level perceptions of social media in national sport organizations. Journal of Global Sport Management, 9(3), 464-484. https://doi.org/10.1080/24704067.2022.2116591

Lachance, E. L. (2023). Learning how to make decisions: An application of strategic decision-making theory. Case Studies in Sport Management, 12(1), 1-5 (case), 1-6 (teaching notes). https://doi.org/10.1123/cssm.2022-0019

Lachance, E. L., & Parent, M. M. (2023). Policy implementation and collaboration in a federated sport system: The case of the Official Languages Act. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 15(1), 63-79. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2023.2166564

Piché, M., Lachance, E. L., & Kerwin, S. (2023). Developing a community sport organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusion policy. Case Studies in Sport Management, 12(1), 1-5 (case), 1-4 (teaching notes). https://doi.org/10.1123/cssm.2023-0016

Thompson, A., Lachance, E. L., Parent, M. M., & Hoye, R. (2023). A systematic review of governance principles in sport. European Sport Management Quarterly, 23(6), 1863-1888. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2022.2077795

Hoye, R., Parent, M. M., Thompson, A., Lachance, E. L., Naraine, M. L., Taks, M., & Séguin, B. (2023). Decision-making processes used by Canadian national sport organization boards: Differences between design archetypes. Journal of Sport Management, 37(6), 440-451. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2022-0201

Parent, M. M., Hoye, R., Taks, M., Thompson, A., Naraine, M., Lachance, E. L., Séguin, B. (2023). National sport organization design archetypes for the 21st century. European Sport Management Quarterly, 23(4), 1115-1135. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2021.1963801

Lachance, E. L., Thompson, A., Bakhsh, J. T., & Parent, M. M. (2022). Understanding changes in sport event volunteers’ motivation, satisfaction, commitment, and sense of community: Evidence from a pre-post event design. Event Management, 26(8), 1727-1743. https://doi.org/10.3727/152599522X16419948694801

Lachance, E. L., Bakhsh, J. T., Thompson, A., & Parent, M. M. (2021). What predicts the sport event volunteer experience? Examining motivation, satisfaction, commitment, and sense of community. Event Management. 25(8), 721-738. https://doi.org/10.3727/152599521X16106577965107

Lachance, E. L., & Parent, M. M. (2021). Understanding the sport event volunteer experience in the implementation mode of the event lifecycle: An autoethnography. Event Management, 25(5), 501-519. https://doi.org/10.3727/152599520X15894679115556

Lachance, E. L., & Parent, M. M. (2021). Volunteers in sport organizations and events: A source of competitive advantage? International Journal of Sport Management, 22(3), 1-24.

Lachance, E. L. (2021). COVID-19 and its impact on volunteering: Moving towards virtual volunteering. Leisure Sciences, 43(1-2), 104-110. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2020.1773990

Bakhsh, J. T., Lachance, E. L., Thompson, A., & Parent, M. M. (2021). Outcomes of the sport event volunteer experience: Examining demonstration effects on first-time and returning volunteers. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 12(2), 168-183. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-09-2020-0057

Lachance, E. L., & Parent, M. M. (2020). The volunteer experience in a para-sport event: An autoethnography. Journal of Sport Management, 34(2), 93-102. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2019-0132

Teaching and Service

Dr. Lachance currently teaches courses related to finance at the undergraduate level as well as people and culture ecosystems in sport at the graduate level in the Master of Sport Management program.

His service at the university includes the Master of Sport Management Program Committee. Externally, Dr. Lachance serves as the Committee Chair for the SSHRC Doctoral Awards (Committee #5B – Economics, Industrial Relations, Law, Management, Business, Administrative Studies, Political Sciences), Committee Chair for the North American Society for Sport Management Research Fellow adjudication, and is an editorial board member at Case Studies in Sport Management and Event Management. He also actively serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for sport management journals (e.g., Journal of Sport Management, European Sport Management Quarterly, Sport Management Review) and conferences (e.g., North American Society for Sport Management Conference).

Undergraduate Student Opportunities

Dr. Lachance is accepting a select number of undergraduate students to complete a SPMA 3P99 or SPMA 4P99 course. Students interested in conducting research (e.g., annotated bibliography, etc.) on sport governance or sport events should contact Dr. Lachance via email to discuss potential opportunities.

Graduate Student Opportunities

Dr. Lachance is accepting graduate students to complete a thesis-based master’s on topics related to sport governance or sport events. Candidates should consult Dr. Lachance’s published research to identify a relevant topic of interest. Please contact Dr. Lachance via email to discuss potential opportunities.