About Us
Board of Directors & Staff
Our volunteer Board and members are what help make Paddle Alberta the great organization it is. Their passion for getting people out paddling is what makes them so great for the job.
Paul Kopjar
President,
Welcome to Paddle Alberta! I'm thrilled to be on the Board with such a wonderful group of caring volunteers and staff. We're lucky to have their passion and connections guiding our paddling community. For my "day job" I work as Assistant Director at Kuriakos, a camp and outdoor ed centre on Sylvan Lake. I love teaching canoeing and getting other people excited about their new skills. When I can swing it, my favourite thing is to jump in on an overnight trip.
Ben Schmidt
Treasurer,
Ben works full time in an accounting job in Calgary but when he's not tied to his desk he loves spending time hiking and canoeing. He is an OCC Field Leader and Overnight instructor as well as a Paddle Canada moving water tandem instructor. For the past 8 years he has been a volunteer leader with Pioneer Camp Alberta in a variety of different roles.
Tina Barzo
Vice President,
Tina moved west from Ontario in 2001 and has been a Bow Waters Canoe club member for the past 18+ years, where she is currently President. She paddles solo canoes, most of the time with her trusty sidekick Bosco, and she also paddles tandem with her husband or whoever will jump in with her.
In addition to paddling many of her canoe club trips multiple times, Tina ventured on a Nahanni River trip (2016), Wind River in the Yukon (2018), and Keele River (2022)! She also loves to organize women-only canoe trips.
Her full-time job is Leader of Volunteer Engagement for Parks Canada in Banff National Park and she lives in Canmore.
Sydney Walsh
Education Director,
Sydney is an avid paddler and flyfisher. She has been teaching various paddling programs and courses for over 10 years and currently works for the U of C Outdoor Centre. She is passionate about helping people get outdoors and feel confident to do the things they love.
Henry Madsen
Member Rep,
Henry Madsen has been a teacher, an administrator and now a superintendent in the school system for over 30 years. When he is not in an office or classroom, he can be found on the trails and on the water. Henry is passionate about sharing the outdoors with students, young and old, and leads many canoe, bike and cross country ski programs through HeLa Ventures, an outdoor adventure company located in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. Look for him where there is water, frozen or fluid. Ya Hooooooo
Matt Webber
Member Rep,
Matt is a born and raised Albertan, growing up in Calgary before moving to East Central Alberta to raise a family and live on an acreage. He wears many hats, including school bus driver, canoe builder, hobby farmer, scout leader, and soldier. When he’s not in the shop repairing an old canoe or building a new one, he loves to get out paddling with family and friends, and especially enjoys getting youth out paddling, in small canoes and big canoes.
Sabrina Ryans
Instructor Rep,
Bio coming soon
Mike Horembala
Environment Director,
Mike has been a high school teacher and outdoor educator for over 30 years. He is a Leave No Trace Master Educator, Outdoor Council of Canada Field, Paddle and Overnight Instructor and Paddle Canada Lake/Waterfront Instructor Trainer and Seakayak Instructor. His passion has been to educate people to be stewards of the wilderness areas we love to recreate in. Mike has been Environment Chair on an off for 12 years.
Logan Jones
Paddle Canada Rep,
Logan is a gradate from the MRU ETOL program and is currently the Youth Programs Manager at the U of C. He's passionate about getting kids outside learning and having fun. He's an intermediate PC Moving Water IT and enjoys remote canoe tripping.
Karla Handy
Executive Director,
is a graduate of the MRU ETOL program and has been working as the Program Services Coordinator for Paddle Alberta from 2011-2023. The job title has been updated to Executive Director as of 2024. She's passionate about paddle sport education and safety. She loves river and lake tripping in what ever craft makes the most sense for the objective, which inevitably involves fly fishing.