Our Senior Team Members

John Wheelwright, LLB, Executive Director

A practicing lawyer in Alberta for many years, John has been an active volunteer in the not-for-profit sector. Moving to Alberta in 1975, John attended the University of Alberta and the University of Wales. Growing up around dogs and horses, he credits a childhood in rural Ontario for his life-long interest in animals, working dogs in particular. John began his association with Dogs with Wings as a volunteer puppy raiser, and became Executive Director in 2008. He has served on the Board of various arts, educational, political and social organizations in Edmonton. The Executive Director has overalll responsibility for Dogs with Wings, and reports  to the Board of Directors.

Elisa Irlam, GDMI, Director of Client Services

Elisa's dream of establishing an Assistance Dog School in Alberta began with training in Palm Springs, California in 1988. She completed her Certified Guide Dog Mobility Instructor at Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind in 1993. Returning to Edmonton with her new family, Elisa co-founded Western Guide Dog Foundation, now known as Dogs with Wings. To this day, Elisa's motivation remains the same: to see the difference our Assistance Dogs can make in the lives of our clients.

Maria Illes, PhD, GDMI, Director of Training

Dr. Illes holds a Masters degree in Educational Programming and a PhD in History from the University of Comenius. Following a teaching career of 12 years in Slovakia, Maria qualified as a Guide Dog Mobility Instructor. She worked in the field in Slovakia prior to relocating to Edmonton with her family in 1999. Since her arrival, Maria has been training and placing dogs in all of the program areas offered by DWW. She has also conducted Puppy Class, working with our volunteers. Maria is fluent in 4 languages.

Lindsey Rudolph, Canine Program Coordinator

Those who have been involved with DWW in its early days will recognize Lindsey’s friendly face. DWW is delighted to have Lindsey back with her approachable, and organized work style. Lindsey has a solid understanding of how our organization works and is a great resource for volunteers who have questions or need direction. In her new role, Lindsey is responsible for sourcing volunteers for our puppies and adult dogs in training, scheduling of puppy classes, and runs our Puppy Cuddling program.

Ruth Ann Chafe, Administrative Coordinator

Ruth Ann has been a long-time friend to DWW, having raised a number of our dogs. She brings many years of non-profit experience to the table. Ruth Ann runs the office and assists in preparing grant and sponsorship proposals, general correspondence, handles our receivables, payables and other related office duties.

Apprentice Trainers

Dogs with Wings offers a 3 year apprentice program, leading to an Assistance Dog Instructor designation. This program combines theoretical and practical training modules in all areas relevant to the breeding, whelping, training and placement of Assistance Dogs. Our training staff regularly upgrade their skills and attend seminars in both Canada and the States. Dogs with Wings has a collaborative approach, and draws on the experience of other schools to help define best practices.

Apprentices: Shannon Northcott & Moira Wegner