Our Board Members:
BC Rehab is governed by a dedicated and passionate Board of Directors. Our Board members are volunteers and come from a variety of backgrounds. They offer a wealth of knowledge and experience to make BC Rehab a strong and effective organization.
Ian Muirhead
Ian retired in 2013 after 27 years as a corporate lawyer in Vancouver, and now fills his time with family, travelling, day-hiking, backpacking, gardening, reading and attempting to stay physically fit. His love of the outdoors is one of the reasons BC Rehab’s mandate appeals to him – to be able to assist anyone who is working to overcome a challenge is very fulfilling, and the strength and determination of the individuals who BC Rehab helps are a continuing inspiration.
Walt Lawrence
Walt Lawrence was born in Vancouver British Columbia. He has been married for twenty five years and has two daughters.
Walt was injured in Kelowna at age eighteen in a diving accident forty-six years ago leaving him with a C2/3 Spinal Cord injury.
Walt went on to pursue a career in counselling, achieving a Registered Rehab Professional Degree. He has been working at GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre for the past twenty five years. He was most recently awarded a Doctorate of Divinity and has dedicated his life to advocating for persons with disabilities working closely with the City of Vancouver and various other boards. For the past eighteen years Walt has been on the board of BC Rehab Foundation and finds it very rewarding.
“BC Rehab Foundation is a life changing organization which I am proud to work along side as it has assisted and enabled many individuals towards maximizing independence”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2psWih7IjW0
Rachel Abel
Rachel Abel is an Occupational Therapist who graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology prior to completing her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy (OT) at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She has worked at GF Strong Rehab Centre for 10 years with a passion for working with the spinal cord injury population. She is a Clinical Instructor for OT students at UBC and participates in research to help maintain best practice for patients. She also has experience working with the burn population at Vancouver General Hospital.
Rachel enjoys cycling, skiing, and playing sports, including tennis, which she also teaches in the summer. She also loves hiking and beach walks with her puppy.
Rachel’s experience and education contributes to the BC Rehab Board as she is motivated to help assist people with disabilities to increase their independence, quality of life, and access to resources.
Knut Nordlie
Knut is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a graduate of Simon Fraser University. He retired in 2015 from the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation as the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer after 20 years of service. Prior to that, he worked for 10 years at the BC Rehab Society when it ran the George Pearson Centre and GF Strong where he was the Director of Finance and Administration.
Knut has served on a number of “not for profit” boards and was a part-time instructor at the BC Institute of Technology in the Fundraising Management Certificate program. In addition, he obtaining his Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation in 2003.
While competing as a member of the Canadian National Ski Team, Knut was injured in 1974 leaving him with a T11/12 Spinal Cord injury taking his life in a very different direction. His combination of personal and professional experience with the challenges faced by persons with disabilities give him insight and a desire to assist those working to overcome their personal challenges.
David Ennis
David Ennis is a lawyer with extensive experience in the non-profit sector designing and implementing international development programs relating to democratic development, elections, participatory law reform, and justice sector reform. He has managed complex, long-term technical assistance programs in Indonesia, Ukraine and Vietnam and has worked as an expert consultant in post-conflict and transitional societies with intergovernmental organizations including the UN, IOM and OSCE.
David is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to BC Rehab’s work to make British Columbia a more inclusive and accessible place for all.
Jane Hurlburt
Jane was born and raised in Vancouver and enjoyed a career as a Genetic Counsellor with the BC Provincial Medical Genetics Program, UBC Department of Medical Genetics. She graduated with a B.Sc. from UBC and an RN/M.Sc. from McGill University. After working in a Neonatal ICU in Montreal, she moved back to Vancouver and joined the UBC Medical Genetics team where she worked for more than thirty years. She was a Clinical Instructor with the Department of Medical Genetics and also served on the Board of Canadian Association of Genetic Counsellors in a variety of roles.
Jane retired in 2015 and now enjoys spending time with her family, as well as hiking, cycling, pickleball, and playing the piano. Coming from a background in health care, Jane sees BC Rehab as playing an important role in BC by helping individuals meet their accessibility needs and achieving their goals.
Our Staff:
BC Rehab is staffed by one devoted individual who has been with the Foundation for over 10 years. She offers a wealth of knowledge for individuals with disabilities and will advocate for those who require her help.
Trynka Gogal
Client Services and Administrative Coordinator
Trynka Gogal is in charge of Client Services and the Administration at BC Rehab. Trynka has been working for BC Rehab since the beginning of 2005. She attended Langara College Fine Arts program, but left early to travel. Trynka found her true joy when she started working for BC Rehab. She has learned not only how to run a foundation, but most importantly she learned how to advocate for individuals with physical disabilities.