Meet the Ability Workshop Board members

Meet the volunteers who guide our mission, oversight, and direction — bringing their time and expertise to help us serve more clients across Calgary and area.

Meet the Board

  • Ed Marchand, Ability Workshop board member, holding a curved wooden rocker ramp in the workshop

    Ed Marchand

    Ed is a retired Superintendent with the Calgary Catholic School District. He has had various leadership roles in a volunteer capacity including as Board President of the L’Arche Society of Calgary. When he is not creating sawdust in his shop or working on AWS solutions, Ed could be out birding almost anywhere in the world.

  • Nancy Wiebe, Ability Workshop board member, holding a custom sensory switch board with colourful buttons

    Nancy Wiebe

    Nancy joined the Society in 2024 with enthusiasm to serve the disabled community in a practical way. She is a retired accountant and IT business analyst. Her volunteer interests include the Ability Workshop, providing IT support for charities and operating the Calgary Allergy Network support group for 10 years. 

  • Paul Walter, Ability Workshop board member, in the workshop

    Paul Walter

    Paul is a Software Consultant specializing in advanced technologies. His dedication to AWS is rooted in a pivotal early experience: a spinal injury at age 16 that profoundly shaped his perspective on mobility and accessibility. This personal history, fused with a later passion for welding and sculpture, drives his commitment to the Society’s intersection of technology, art, and ability.

  • Brian Graham, Ability Workshop board member, working at a drill press in the workshop

    Brian Graham

    Brian was a long-time volunteer starting with Tetra which became the Ability Workshop. He also supported the Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre Woodwork Training Shop and later the Trades Guild Training Shop, in both Design and CNC operation. He also works on AWS solutions bringing his extensive experience as a technology expert and woodworker.

  • Renee Watson, Ability Workshop board member, with a custom wooden marble maze sensory board

    Renee Watson

    Renee grew up in Northern Ontario, later moving to Calgary to pursue an engineering career.  She has been volunteering with Ability Workshop for 10 years.

  • Cam Reid, Ability Workshop board member, in the workshop assembling adaptive equipment hardware

    Cam Reid

    Cam is a retired consulting engineer having worked 40 years on projects in the oil industry. His background in design and problem solving, to be part of a team, and doing so for individuals with unique needs, all attracted him to AWS.