EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
mmacrae@mybowness.com
Molly has been with the BCA since 2017, she is a born and raised Calgarian and loves the sense of community she has found in Bowness. She enjoys yoga, biking, and walking her dog at Bowness park.
PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT LIASON
planning@mybowness.com
Abby was excited to return to Calgary in 2023 after living in Saskatchewan for many years. When she isn’t at the BCA, she’s probably spending time outside, working on a crochet project, or enjoying a novel. She can’t wait to get to know the Bowness community- if you see her, say hi!
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
adraper@mybowness.com
Anna has been a proud Bownesian since 2021, and is delighted to now be on staff at the BCA. When not working at the Community Association she is a local voice teacher, and can also be found performing music at venues ranging from the opera hall to the local pub.
FACILITY OPERATOR
Benji is a dedicated ice resurfacer operator whose love for the ice runs deep. With every smooth pass across the rink, he brings pride, precision, and a deep respect for the craft of ice maintenance. Known for his cool demeanour and strong work ethic, he takes ownership of the ice surface like it’s his own canvas, each shift a quiet masterpiece. His love for ice runs deep.
CUSTODIAN
Brynne Nelson has called Bowness home since 2022, where she first connected with the BCA and her fiancé Dino through elevensies and quickly fell in love with the community. After nearly a decade working as a full-time nanny, Brynne recently shifted gears and now balances childminding with custodial work—enjoying the slower pace while still serving her neighbours. He’s engaged to Dino, shares his home with two very different cats (one sweet, one evil), and grew up in Three Hills. Known for her playful sense of humour, Brynne is a Libra, a Santa super-fan, and a firm believer that birthdays (his is September 29!) deserve gifts. Ask Brynne about her ferby collection and shrine in her and Dino’s house!
ADMIN ASSISTANT
calgor@mybowness.com
Charlize joined the BCA in 2025 and is a born and raised Calgarian and who grew up in bowness. When not working at the Community Association she can be found camping, walking her dog, or enjoying a good novel.
FACILITY OPERATOR
Jacob is a passionate creator and enthusiast with a diverse range of hobbies. Whether they’re getting lost in a good book, building intricate models, or expressing themselves through art, Jacob finds joy in bringing ideas to life. When not busy crafting or reading, they’re usually working on their car or enjoying the freedom of the open road on their motorcycle.
FACILITY OPERATOR
Lynn was born and raised in Bowness along with living on the west coast. He is absolutely thrilled to work for the BCA. When he isn’t working in the arena, he is usually playing his guitar, hanging out with
his wife and son, or going fishing with his dog.
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
nbigbull@mybowness.com
Nellie became a Bownesian in her teens, moved around a bit, then returned in 2019. It felt right to return home after many years of exclaiming “I need to move back to Bowness!” every time she drove over the Shouldice Bridge. Since then, she has put down more roots, made lifelong connections, and created many beautiful memories here. Her favourite Bowness pastime is foraging O’koǒno’kiissts (Saskatoon berries) along the Bow. When she’s not at the BCA, you can find her swimming in any body of water she can find, dancing her heart out to great music with friends, or somewhere on the winding road of adventure to the next bright and beautiful place.
ACCOUNTANT
sgupta@mybowness.com
BIO COMING SOON
BARTENDER / SERVER
Will moved to Bowness in 2021 after living all around Canada, and a recent 2024 addition to the BCA. When not working in the Landing, he enjoys writing, playing games, watching films, and cycling.
PRESIDENT
I moved to Bowness in 2020 and immediately looked to join the board. I wanted to help build a strong community and put down roots, so I reached out to the BCA within weeks of moving in. I have experience in facilitation and events planning. Outside of the BCA I am passionate about international relations and hiking. I want to learn more about how local and community government works. I am interested in who makes decisions, how they do that, and the impact of the outcomes. I am excited by the community craft fairs. I love supporting small and local businesses. And I’m excited to see how we can continue doing that as the BCA.
VICE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES COMMITTEE
I’ve been involved in the Calgary Chieftains and Bowness soccer for many years, and we used the BCA hall as our winter training facility. Through that relationship, and also living close to the BCA, I found myself spending more time at the location and getting to know the people involved. I’ve been involved in various community organizations in my life and worked with multiple boards in various roles. I have some financial experience as well as event planning, volunteer recruitment, and construction project experience. My passions would be sport, film, and as I age, I’m also enjoying gardening.
I hope to get to know more of my neighbours in Bowness through service on the board. I have already got to know many locals and look forward to meeting more. I’m currently most excited about the Heart of Bowness project, including the community garden which we’ve recently started constructing. It should be a great space for everyone in the community.
TREASURER
I have lived in Bowness for 15 years. Anne Campbell, a former Director, asked me to join. I have run two companies, including my own, and have been a member of several corporate boards. Outside of the BCA I am an avid gardener and I write the Bowtanical Garden column for the Bowest’ner. When I am not gardening, I am travelling. I am currently Treasurer for the Board. I am hoping to improve my skills in this area as I have never been involved with a not for profit organization. As a gardener, I have to say the new Community Garden is going to be wonderful. I also really enjoy participating in our community events such as Movie in the Park and the Tour de Bowness in conjunction with Mainstreet Bowness.
DIRECTOR AT LARGE
My partner and I, along with our rescue pup, Nora, love having the parks and river pathways right in our backyard! I also happen to think that Bowness has some of the best foodie options around – pizza from The Place, Pho from Bowness Vietnamese, breakfast at Cadence and the occasional pint from Bowness Pub, Leo’s, Brewsmiths or the Landing, how can you go wrong? When not out and about close to home, you can usually find me at our campsite or traveling for a concert, show or experience to add to the memory book. I am excited to see what is around the corner for this little village in the valley and look forward to meeting many more fellow Bownesians along the way.
DIRECTOR AT LARGE
SECRETARY | CO-DIRECTOR OF PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
I have been living in Bowness since 2021. I fell in love with the community because it was so close to nature with the river and Bowness Park right there. I chose to join the board originally because a friend of mine, Theresa Davidson convinced me to join back in 2021. I stepped down from the board when I decided to do some travelling this year but now that I’m back in Bowness, I really want to be a part of making this community as great as it possibly can be. I think that we have some of the coolest people in the city living in this neighbourhood. So, I want to be a part of helping all people find each other, build great events and have spaces where everyone can connect and feel like one big happy neighbourhood.
I love people, and I have a lot of energy. I have the time to show up for events and to help plan things. I love finding ways to get people together and start interesting conversations about how we can make our neighbourhood better. I really love storytelling and making videos. I think that one of the big responsibilities of the BCA is telling the story of Bowness. I really love sharing cool and interesting stories with broad audiences, and I think that we have a lot of great stories to tell about Bowness. I just think that I think that we have some of the most neighbourly people in the city. On Halloween, I was at a campfire down the street from my house with people I had never met before and all of us got along everyone was so welcoming and inviting. As someone who’s young in the neighbourhood, it’s lovely to have families, older people and young adults all living life together! I’m really excited for the community.
DIRECTOR OF HR AND NOMINATING
We moved here in June 2021. I’ve been on community boards before and really wanted to engage again in Bowness. Some contacts invited me to attend a meeting to check things out and I’m still attending!
I’ve been involved in non-profit leadership my entire career, mostly in cross cultural contexts. I travel a lot, but am committed to living local and building community with my neighbours. I also love renovations and tinkering, gardening, my fish pond and anything outdoors. I’d like to learn and grow in being part of helping Bownesians continue to build deep community bonds — where knowing our neighbours contributes to overall well being, security and a sense of belonging.
I am impressed at the incredible variety of things this community has to offer and give kudos to the amazing BCA staff that facilitates so much for us all. The community gardens is a fabulous addition. I’m excited about more ideas emerging on how to strengthen neighbour to neighbour connections.
DIRECTOR AT LARGE
I’ve lived in Bowness for 18 years. I went for a massage one day and the masseur, despite my request for a silent session, convinced me to join the board! I am fairly well versed in the City’s planning policy and I bring this knowledge and experience to the Planning and Development Committee. I enjoy learning about the local history of Bowness by way of the residents that remember. There are so many crazy stories — and some of them are even true! I am very excited about the Community Garden Project.
DIRECTOR AT LARGE
I moved to Bowness a little over two years ago. I wanted to take a more active role in the community, and when I found out we were starting a community garden project, I joined the committee. I work in philanthropy and am relatively comfortable with the granting process. I thought it would be helpful for the garden project. I was also part of another community garden a few years ago. I hope to see the garden project complete and thrive for many years to come. I also have a growing passion for disc golf, and my friends and I like to travel to try out new courses when we can! There are lots of new developments happening and what seems to be more younger people moving into Bowness. I am excited to grow with this community and see what new life it brings in the coming years.
DIRECTOR AT LARGE
I’ve lived in Bowness for a collective total of 38 years and I came to the board by way of ‘retiring’ as a staff member. There’s lots of great work and opportunities happening, and even though I was no longer staff, I wanted to continue to support Bowness. As Chair of the Communications Committee and a former BCA employee I bring the perspective of a resident, employee, participant, and volunteer. The EGOT of community building if you will? I’ve been a resident my entire life, and I have over 12 years of experience in communications. As a former employee, I helped grow our communications strategy which led to the creation of a full time, permanent communications position at the BCA, and helped expand our communications committee of 2 to almost a dozen active volunteers.
Outside of the BCA I spend time with my dog, my partner Sunny, and friends and family. I like to weightlift, paddleboard, mountain bike, garden, read, work on DIY projects at home and travel. I’m excited to see how the community is pulling itself out of the pandemic. In my recent work experiences there was much talk around moving from a charity model to mutual aid. During the pandemic, many Facebook groups popped up like Bowness Cares where folks would ask for or offer support. As a kid growing up in Bowness, my family and I practiced mutual aid all the time: mowing someone’s lawn, or shovelling a sidewalk, looking after a neighbour’s dog or garden while they were away, driving your kids friend to their hockey game, giving money to a neighbour to pursue a course or business idea, or even just to purchase their groceries. I see a lot of that coming back to Bowness, and it’s a great way to strengthen the community and ensure folks get the support they need.
CO-DIRECTOR OF PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
I first moved to Bowness in the late 90s while studying classical music at the University of Calgary and the Banff Centre. After a few years away completing my master’s degree in Toronto and performing with orchestras across Canada, I shifted careers and returned to Calgary to pursue work in the trades. I became a Red Seal journeyman electrician and earned my Master Electrician certification through SAIT.
In 2015, I started my own commercial electrical business and made my way back to Bowness, where I now live with my wife and children. Volunteering with the BCA has been a great way to reconnect with my neighbours and give back to the community. I value the opportunity to help Bowness strengthen its sense of community and reconnect with its neighbours in a time when that connection feels harder to maintain.
The Bowness Committee Association achieves its strategic priorities through the work done by volunteers on our volunteer committees.
These volunteer run committees are essential to getting feedback from the community, staying in tune with the needs of Bowness, and completing Board deliverables
