The Team

After a diagnosis of cancer, and the amputation of his right leg through the knee, Matt and his family discovered skiing on the North Shore mountains of Vancouver in the early 1990’s.  As he improved Matt ventured north to Whistler, and his journey in skiing continued, eventually taking him around the world.  Matt has been involved with the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team for much of his life, starting in the grassroots programs before spending 13 years as a member of the World Cup Team, including participating in three Paralympic Winter Games (Torino, Vancouver, and Sochi).  After his athletic retirement in 2015, Matt had the opportunity to take over as High-Performance Director of the Para-Alpine team in 2016.

Through his skiing journey, Matt has lived in Whistler, Squamish, and Vancouver’s North Shore.  While living in Whistler in preparation for the 2010 Games his awareness of Whistler Adaptive continued to grow. He has taken part in various WAS programs himself, and along with his operational experience working in the sporting world, and Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from Simon Fraser University, his skill set helps provide leadership, finance, and operational guidance to the Whistler Adaptive Board of Directors. When not on the ski hill Matt enjoys spending time with his young family, riding his bike around the North Shore in Vancouver, and playing golf. Matt also helps his wife run a small Yacht Detailing business in Vancouver.

Laura moved to Whistler in 2018 from Oxfordshire, UK. She joined the Whistler Adaptive team in 2019 and worked as a ski instructor in the ski school at Whistler Blackcomb. Laura has volunteered both on snow in the ski programs and in the summer programs and has experienced firsthand the life changing opportunities and experiences of adaptive sport.

Laura joined the Whistler Adaptive Board of Directors in 2022. She completed undergraduate degrees in English Literature and Law at Cardiff University and a postgraduate diploma in Law before relocating to Canada. She is currently working in house, in Labour Relations and her goal is to contribute to Whistler Adaptive’s mission and vision, by sharing her knowledge, analytical and legal skills.

Laura is passionate about fundraising for charities that support health and wellbeing and previously ran a half marathon raising money for the mental health charity, Mind. She is dedicated to supporting the future of adaptive sport and is excited to continue to contribute to Whistler Adaptive’s mission and vision.

Yasuko was born and raised in Japan and moved to the United States in 2000 and Canada in 2004. She came across WASP in 2019 when her partner Greg (who used to be a ski racer) had been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Whistler Adaptive has enabled Yasuko’s family to experience memorable adventures with her partner Greg who passed in October 2021. Yasuko believed “it was important for us as a family to go back to Whistler where Greg enjoyed and ski raced in his early days, where we hold many great memories as a family.” As awful as Greg’s passing was, Yasuko is determined to make the world an accessible place and believes that everyone should have access to sports, traveling as well as support to make it happen.

Yasuko is an accomplished entrepreneur and the founder of dmkstyle, an Interior decorating and design company in Vancouver focusing on barrier-free designs. She is also part of an inclusive education program provided to Japanese educators.  Yasuko is pleased to join the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program Board and looking forward to contributing her knowledge.

Mary Beth McNamara brings over 30 years of experience in financial services in Hong Kong, with roles at Peregrine, Lehman Brothers, ABN Amro, CLSA, among others. She spent the last 10 years managing the institutional equities businesses for CIMB and Maybank in Hong Kong.  She has worked in Tokyo, Jakarta, and New York in addition to her 30+ years in Hong Kong.

Mary Beth has 4 children, two with special needs, and has spent the last 15 years working to further the community of special needs families in Hong Kong . She has served the last 3 years on the board and fundraising committee of Whistler Adaptive Sports Program , helping bring more sporting opportunities to physically and cognitively disabled athletes in the British Columbia Sea-to-Sky Corridor.

She also years as the parent liaison for The Children’s Institute (TCI) families , helping to promote inclusion into the wider Harbour School (THS) family, and sits on the parents committee at Maplebrook School, where her sons attend.

At Talos, Mary Beth helps to grow employment opportunities in Hong Kong for special needs teens and adults. Her sons Rory and JJ are currently in grade 11 at Maplebrook and will return to Hong Kong full time after graduation.

Alan is currently serving as a Director at Large for the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program after leading the organization as the Board President for 4 years. Alan brings his sincere interest in neurologically disabled children and young adults having outstanding outdoor experiences to the Whistler Adaptive Board. Whistler Adaptive has enabled Alan’s family to experience together many fantastic ski adventures over the past 10 years with their son, Ethan, who has cerebral palsy, and daughter Leah. Alan has previous NGO Board experience having been a past Board Member and President of the BC Centre for Ability (BCCFA) Association (2007-2012).  He was actively engaged in its growth as the leading provider of community-based services for neurologically disabled children, youth and adults in BC.  Services provided by the BCCFA include:  physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, social development programs, and school / university to work transition programs. Alan is a professional bio-resource engineer / MBA and is the Quality and Food Safety Manager at Bulldog Bag Ltd. in Richmond, BC.​

Roger is an accomplished community development professional with over 30 years of experience in community services, emergency operations, and strategic business management.  His education specializes in Business, Environmental, and Sports Management and he has also worked in non-profit, private, and public sectors, currently as the Recreation Director for Whistler Resort. Roger’s passion is turning a shared vision into an operational reality that is sustainable and meaningful. With this long-term passion and expertise, he has become a thought leader in Recreation Management working for key stakeholders in BC and volunteering on various organizational boards, including Whistler Adaptive Sports.

Roger has lived in Whistler since 1994 finishing his degree at UBC starting with a short career in the ski industry and a long career in local government. His present role with the RMOW has him overseeing the Meadow Park Sports Centre, three community centres, the youth centre & LUNA program, skating at Whistler Olympic Plaza, and the Lost Lake Nordic Trails.

Rob has a passion for sports and sharing them with others.  Originally from the UK, he qualified as a chartered accountant at PwC in London before moving to Whistler in 2019 to live in the mountains and enjoy all the activities Whistler has to offer.  Rob works as a financial controller and will use his experience to help the board‘s finance team.  He also coaches for the Whistler Freeride Club on the weekends in the Winter so he sees the joy mountain sports bring people.

Sian re-joins WAS after a decade of serving as the Executive Director of BC Wheelchair Basketball Society, and as the High-Performance Director of BC Adaptive Snowsports. Originally from the UK, Sian moved to Vancouver 25 years ago having started her working life as a neurological/neurosurgical nurse and later applying these skills to work with a UK adaptive sports charity. In 1998, upon visiting Whistler and seeing the potential for a year-round adaptive sports program, Sian presented a proposal to Whistler Blackcomb Resort for the creation of Whistler Adaptive Sports Program and soon brought on WAS’ first employee. After more than 20 years, Sian is excited to return to WAS to continue to promote adaptive sport experiences in the Sea to Sky.

A fundraiser by trade, Shelley has worked in the charitable sector for over 25 years. She is motivated by helping people develop their love of the outdoors. When not at her desk, Shelley can be found in the garden, paddling our local lakes or playing in the snow.

Meet Adrià, the Lead Coach and Equipment/Facilities Coordinator of Whistler Adaptive. He started volunteering with the program in 2016 in the winter program as a snowboard coach which has grown into the full time role he has today. He has a background in guiding and has been on and lead many expeditions in kayaking and mountaineering among others. He has a passion for the outdoors and loves to share that passion with everyone.

With over 15 years experience as a communications professional working in the UK Arts and Media (BBC, Southbank Centre), Jen eventually combined this with her passion for sports and the outdoors and co-founded a Communications and Athlete Management Agency, providing services to national and global outdoor brands and two of Britain’s leading climbers. She joined WAS in April 2023 with certifications in swimming and adaptive snowsports and week to week devotes time to both coaching and promoting the charity.

Nat has called The Sea to Sky home for the last 5 years. Nat first joined WAS in Summer 2023 as our Administrative Assistant, and is now acting Volunteer Coordinator and Coach.  Nat’s background includes a degree in Sport Education and Coaching and previous experience working for non-profits. She brings both administrative and coaching expertise to the team and thrives on getting everyone involved in the outdoors, regardless of their chosen sport!

Originally from the UK, Ellie came to Whistler in 2018 as a ski instructor and sports coach. After returning to UK for a few years to work as a fundraising manager in the charitable sector, she now calls the Sea to Sky her home again. Ellie is passionate about the future of adaptive sports in Whistler and is excited to share her love for outdoor adventure with our athletes and families.

Meet Eli, Coach and the Volunteer Coordinator of Whistler Adaptive Sports. Originally from Czech, she worked as a sports therapist in the Spinal Cord Injury center in Prague. She started working with WAS as a volunteer 5 years ago. She loves putting smiles on people’s faces through sport. She is a big fan of Nordic Sit Skiing and a crochet master.