Cassandra Murray

A mother of five children, Cassandra’s youngest was born with a rare neuromuscular disease in which he requires a tracheostomy for overnight ventilation and the use of a power wheelchair to get around (manual wheelchair when he’s not being stubborn). “My son has opened my world to so many things, including adapted sports,” she says. Cassandra has a passion to promote awareness for medically complex children while still promoting inclusion. Cassandra became involved with Calgary Adapted Hub when their whole family became involved with the WinSport Adapted Multi-Sport program.

Suzanna Tangen

Suzanna is the Executive Director of Ultimate Para Sports Association, an organization that provides sport and physical activity programs for people with disabilities in Calgary and surrounding areas. Programs include para cycling, para cross country skiing programs and wheelchair racing, and downhill skiing support. Personally, Suzanna currently competes as a handcyclist on the Norwegian National Team and has earned degrees in Sport Sciences and Adapted Physical Activity.

Jamie McCulloch

Jamie was first exposed to adaptive sport and recreation when teaching his sister how to ski. Following this, he worked as a ski instructor in Andorra and spent his summers working as a care worker for adults with intellectual and physical impairments. From that moment on he knew the direction his future was to take. The winter season of 2001/02 saw Jamie come to Canada, where he has spent his time working for Sunshine Village as a ski instructor whilst developing and running the Sunshine Adaptive Ski and Ride Program.

His enthusiasm, passion, and experience for adaptive sport and recreation lead him to co-found Rocky Mountain Adaptive, where he continues today as the executive director, developing the organization, promoting adaptive sport and recreation and always trying to make time to work hands on with individuals with amazing abilities.

Dean Svoboda

Dean has always had a passion for sport and recreation and spent much of his 20s coaching in Calgary’s AA/AAA hockey system. After being introduced to the world of Autism in the late 90s, Dean focused his passion for sport and recreation on his new community. In 2004, Dean and a small group of parents founded The Autism Aspergers Friendship Society of Calgary (AAFS), an organization driven to build community, provide acceptance, develop relationships, and provide experience. Dean is known as a public speaker, coach, fundraiser, program developer, friendship maker and advocate for those who fall outside what most accept as ‘the norm’.

He has been awarded the Donald Norman Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Disability Arts and Culture, 2013 winner of Social Venture Partners Fast Pitch, and was named one of Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2013.

Cheri Bradish

An industry leader and pioneer in sport business innovation, having established the first North American industry-facing sport tech program – The Next Big Idea in Sport – in 2015 at Ryerson University in partnership with Rogers Communications. She currently is the Founder and Managing Director of the Future of Sport Lab (FSL) a sport innovation lab and sport tech incubator supported by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE). She is also the Ted Rogers Director of Sport Business at the School of Management at Ryerson (TRSM) which she joined in 2013 as the Loretta Rogers Research Chair in Sport Marketing. Bradish has considerable consulting and work experience with a number of leading sport organizations, including the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC)/Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), Nike Canada and the Vancouver Grizzlies (NBA) as well as has participated and published in premier sport business conferences and outlets throughout North America and globally. 

Sean Crump

Sean is an innovator, social-preneur, and accessibility educator. With experience as a tech start-up founder he is versed in early diligence through exit, and as a visionary for Universal Access, he is interested in the long game of social and systems change. Sean is passionate about helping companies create participatory spaces and places has been living with quadriplegia since 2004.

Matthew Corkum

Matthew was diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy when he was 18 months old. He had 93 physio sessions before age five and constant activity growing up on a farm in Nova Scotia contributed to his early childhood development. Matthew got bullied and couldn’t write with a pencil in school, but graduated with honors from high school and went on to a Bachelor’s of Science in Physics at Acadia University, a Masters in Science in Oceanography at Dalhousie University, and PhD in Atmospheric Science at York University. Today he works as Head Meteorologist at Dynasty Power in Calgary and sits on the Advisory Committee on Accessibility for the City of Calgary. Matthew is passionate about advocating for inclusion and equal activity for those with disabilities and speaks to different audiences on those topics through “Walk a Mile in My Shaky Shoes”. Check out more about Matthew’s story at matthewcorkumspeaking.com

Sarah MacEachern

Sarah is a medical doctor and researcher, who works as an Assistant Professor and Developmental Pediatrician in Calgary. She is the co-founder of the Children’s Adapted Physical Activity program at the Mount Royal University with David Legg. She is an advocate for physical activity participation for all children, including children with disabilities. 

Karen Hurley

Karen joins the Calgary Adapted Hub as the Program and Sport Manager for Special Olympics Calgary, bringing 35 years of experience with the Special Olympics organization. She is the parent of an individual with an intellectual disability who is very active. She became involved because of the difficulties of getting sports made available for her own son, who is very active and hope to use her families experience to make postive changes for up and coming young families.

Nancy Quinn

Nancy Quinn is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Western University, London, ON. She is also a Registered International Sport Physical Therapist with multiple Paralympic Games experience as a member and Medical Lead for Canada’s Health Science Teams (HST). Nancy’s research interests, inspired by a passion for equitable access to sport and PA, include the use of qualitative research methods that centralize the athlete/participant experience of para sport and contemporary media’s representation of disability sport.

Saheed Alawiye

A high school student, Saheed enjoys a variety of sports and currently competes in wheelchair basketball and athletics. Saheed recalls his love for basketball starting at the age of seven and has continued on ever since, playing in eight all-start competitions in Ireland, before moving to Canada in 2018. Saheed became involved with Calgary Adapted Hub as a past participant of the University of Calgary Adapted Summer Camp for Teens.

Dr. Pearl Yellow Old Woman-Healy

Dr. Pearl Yellow Old Woman-Healy is a member of the Siksika Nation and is a mother of neurodivergent children. She has worked in private, provincial, and federal school systems as a special education teacher for over 20 years. She is a PhD graduate of the Community Health Sciences Program specializing in Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies from the University of Calgary. Her community- based research focused on Siksikaitsitapi informed health and wellness for Siksika children with extraordinary needs. Her life experiences, advocacy work and community engagement demonstrate her passion in building relationships, fostering connections, and deepening understandings that will enhance culturally competent health care for Indigenous children.