The National accessArts Centre appoints two new members to its Board of Directors

Award-winning journalist Emma Graney and AI start-up executive Jack Williams to join national volunteer board

CALGARY – The National accessArts Centre (NaAC), Canada’s largest and oldest disability arts organization, is pleased to announce the appointment of Emma Graney and Jack Williams to its Board of Directors. A national charitable organization, the NaAC relies of the community leadership and experience of its board members to govern a rapidly growing leader in Canada’s disability arts sector.

“I am so excited to be welcoming Emma and Jack to our board,” said Ron Hoffmann, Chair of the Board of Directors of the NaAC. “Emma is an award-winning journalist who will provide thoughtful guidance on how to amplify the NaAC’s work across Canada, while Jack’s leadership in the business and non-profit communities will deepen our organization’s roots in Calgary – while having national reach.”

President and CEO JS Ryu added: “Our organization continues to grow at an extraordinary pace, and Emma and Jack’s appointments – in addition to the remarkable individuals of our entire board – will only strengthen the foundation on which our growth and success is built.”

Biographical information

Emma Graney covers energy from The Globe and Mail’s Calgary bureau. She landed in Alberta as provincial affairs reporter for the Edmonton Journal, where she hosted the weekly Press Gallery podcast about Alberta politics and was part of the team that won a National Newspaper Award for Fort McMurray wildfire coverage. She has also reported in Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, the U.K., Indonesia and her native Australia, and investigated artificial intelligence in China as an Asia Pacific Foundation media fellow. Recently, she travelled to Europe as part of The Globe’s team of correspondents covering Russia’s war on Ukraine, and was accepted into the 2023 cohort of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Business from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane.

Jack Williams is Partner, Head of Operations at White Whale, a Calgary-based technology company, specializing in AI and data analytics software for businesses. Prior to joining White Whale in 2017, Jack worked in various business development, sales and marketing roles with the Calgary Flames, Molson Coors and Suncor Energy. Jack currently serves on the board of Ignite Calgary, and is a member the Motionball Calgary committee – which raises funds and awareness for the Special Olympics movement. He is also a proud coach of the Thunderbirds, a Special Olympics hockey team.