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AUGUST 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 33 elonging L E N N H E F F E R A N F E L L I N T O HOCKEY, LITERALLY. As a 12-year- old growing up in an inner city of New Jersey, Hefferan collided with a local hockey player at a public skating event, and the result has been a lifetime in the game for the 55-year-old who now lives in Ridgewood, N.J. Getting a relatively late start, Hefferan was admittedly a "terrible, terrible hockey player." Yet despite being one of the weakest players on his team, there was always a sense of belonging he had among his teammates. "There wasn't a single kid on that team that made me feel bad about the kind of player that I was. In their eyes, I was as an important part of that team as any other player," said the president of the Atlantic Amateur Hockey Association. "I felt like I belonged." It's that sense of belonging that the USA Hockey Affiliate is looking to create for all kids, regardless of their race, gen- der, sexual orientation or social s t a t u s . A n d t o h e l p t h e m achieve that, AAHA recently hired Jennifer Croneberger to serve as its first director of culture change and lead its diversity, inclusion and belonging initiatives. Over the past two years, the AAHA began looking at ways to address the challenges of diversity and inclusion. Taking cues from USA Hockey and the NHL, the AAHA recognized the need to create an environment where everyone was welcome and where everyone felt as if they belonged. G By Harry Thompson PHOTO BY USA Hockey Magazine Archives; Jennifer Croneberger With Croneberger's back- ground in sports and perfor- mance psychology, diversity a nd i nc lu sion ef for t s a nd motivational spea king, the organization feels it's found the right person to spearhead those efforts. " T h e r e i s n o d o u b t Je n brings impeccable creden- tials, knowledge and experi- ence to lead us in this journey, but when you hear her engage with others, you immediately sense Jen's powerful compas- sion and empathy," Hefferan said. "She understands the challenges because of her own athletic endeavors, and work- ing with other athletes. Jen is perfectly suited to oversee our D&I efforts." Croneberg er 's first task is to define AAHA's mission when it comes to D&I and to create a blueprint that will help guide the organization forward. Changing the culture won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight, she said. "It's not just a one-time c o nve r sa t i o n . T h i s h a s t o be an ongoing effort," said Croneberger, who has worked with professional athletes as well as organizations such as Nike, Procter & Gamble, Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Department of Defense. "This is a whole communi- ty conversation. To do any- thing less than that is just putting a band-aid over a seeping wound, and that's not going to work. It's about really trying to do this at the core and to do it wholly, not just part of it." The goal is to not only encourage more minorities to play hockey but to create an environment where everyone feels welcome so they can go as far as desire and talent can take them. "The opportunity to provide players who might be minority players, whether that is sexuality or race or gender gap or whatever it is, and provide them a safe space is number one," Croneberger said. "If a player doesn't feel safe psychologically, they 're not going to feel safe physically and are not going to play to their full potential." P B A Sense Of