Meet the ORCA Board

Meet the ORCA Board

Albi Sole

Board Chair: Albi Sole

I am happiest when I am outdoors, and outdoor leadership has been my primary source of employment. For 18 years I worked as a ski and mountaineering guide. Over the last 25 years, I have become increasingly involved in helping others become outdoor people. I ran the Mountain Programs at the UofC’s Outdoor Centre for 17 years and was a founding member of the Outdoor Council of Canada. My hope is that ORCA can become a powerful voice for the whole outdoor community.

Marla Zapach

Director: Marla Zapach

Marla has spent the last 20 years working internationally within the realms of peace building, stabilizing, monitoring, and evaluating in world conflict zones. Her work focused on developing engagement strategies for creating sustainable peace and creating metrics for their evaluation and reporting. Returning to Alberta, Marla has pursued her passions for biodiversity protection, recreation management, and strategy.

Connie Simmons

Secretary: Connie Simmons

Connie has been a long-time outdoor recreation enthusiast – growing up in northern BC with a bush-pilot/Forest Ranger Dad who started her off fishing off the floats of a De Havilland Beaver. She holds a PhD focused on environmental philosophy/conservation history and has extensive experience in outdoor education and conservation planning.

Apoorv Saini

Director: Apoorv Saini

Apoorv Saini is a PhD student at the University of Alberta, studying recreation ecology. He examines how human use of trails and other features impacts biodiversity in Alberta. An ecologist, conservationist, and nature photographer, Apoorv is passionate about bridging the gap between recreation and environmental sustainability.


Outdoor Recreation Coalition
Outdoor Recreation Coalition
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