Our Staff

Andrew Van Luik joined our head-office team to meet the unique needs of our business and our clients. Highly motivated and with an eye for the big picture, Andrew ensures that our numbers run like clockwork, seeking efficiencies and optimization wherever possible.

Andrew loves a good meme or gif, so please deluge his inbox:

Email: Andrew @ ravenrsm. com

Craig teaches rescue courses from the awareness to the technician level – from boat handling and confined space to technical rope and tower rescue. He has a strong background in whitewater, being an accomplished paddler and rafter. With Craig’s wealth of knowledge in emergency services he now acts as a specialized resource for Cowichan Search and Rescue and North Cowichan Fire Department.

We’re proud to have Craig as our Rescue Curriculum Director.  He also mentors our instructor team as one of our Instructor Trainers.  Craig is an organized, intuitive and patient instructor and gets great reviews from his students.

Email: craig@ravenrsm.com

Dan Kirvan runs Raven’s Ontario office, and ensures the smooth delivery of Raven Rescue, Raven Safety and Raven Medical courses in that province. He is a firefighter with the City of Ottawa and has strong river credentials as an international raft guide in Mexico, the US and Australia. In addition, he managed OWL Rafting and Madawaska Kanu Centre for more than 10 years. His combination of technical skill and customer service make him a valuable asset to the Raven team.

On course, Dan is an engaging instructor able to connect with a diverse clientele base from firefighters, industry, resource personnel and outdoor enthusiasts. 

Email: dan @ ravenrsm. com

Darlene Goodrick has joined the Raven team as our Operations and Client Coordinator at the Smithers head office.  With an extensive background in administration, Health & Safety, and technical services, Darlene is here to coordinate our public courses, and assist the private course coordinators in any way she can.

Born and raised in BC, Darlene spent 40+ years on Vancouver Island before following her children to the north.  She has two daughters in the Smithers area, and a son in Prince Rupert. Darlene enjoys her time with her grandchildren and enjoys horseback riding, hiking, paddle boarding, tennis, slo-pitch, and discovering what the north has to offer.

Email: darlene@ravenrsm.com

As the Medical Director here at Raven Medical, Christal keeps our curriculum on the cutting edge. We’re proud to add her diverse background to our team.  Here’s just a snapshot of her extensive qualifications:

• Full time ER physician at the Hull trauma center since 2009
• Locum physician in Iqaluit, Nunavut, and Kuujjuaq, Quebec
• Assistant Professor at Ottawa University Faculty of Medicine
• Lecturer and student/resident supervisor at McGill University Faculty of Medicine
• Independent practitioner in emergency medicine ultrasound, trained in ATLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP, and ACES
• ER physician in Haita after earthquake with International Medical Corps, 2010
• Responsible for midwife training in Tanguiéta, Benin 2012

Christal’s outdoor resume gives her invaluable insight into the application of medicine in the backcountry.  Christal was a canoe guide for Black Feather from 2003-2004, and a raft guide at Esprit Rafting from 1999-2002.  Today, she’s a passionate skier, mountain biker, hiker, canoeist, and mother of three little monsters.

A killer cook who loves his coffee more than anything (other than, perhaps, his evening Scotch), Ian joined the Raven team after years in the paddle guiding industry.  Ian is an openboater, which makes us concerned for his mental wellbeing.  Also, “he couldn’t stay in a raft if his life depended on it,” laments fellow MKC guide and Raven Instructor, Kirstin Thompson. With a sense of humour that can both curl your toes and make you feel like you’ve known him for years, Ian excels at spotting what clients need in their equipment caches, and getting it for them at a killer price.

Known in the paddling community as Cronos, The Master Of Time, “he also claims that he has the world record of Most Consecutive Days Eating Mac & Cheese,” says fellow MKC guide and Raven Instructor, Lalo Ruiz, “but I really doubt that.”

In his role as Retail Sales Coordinator, Ian is a welcome addition to our admin team (for more than his baking and jokes, we swear…)

Email: Ian @ ravenrsm. com

Jason Wolsky began as a volunteer with the Whitehorse Fire Department in 1996, and moved through the ranks to serve as Deputy Fire Chief. Before becoming a full time firefighter, Jason worked with the Whitehorse international airport fire department.  He also holds a certificate in emergency and disaster management through Ryerson University, and holds a commercial pilot’s license.

When Jason isn’t teaching a rope or tower course for Raven Rescue with his signature upbeat delivery, you’ll find him spending time with his wife and two kids, or taking his professional photography to the next level anywhere he can, from his backyard to safari trips in Africa.

Email: Jason @ ravenrsm. com

Jessica Cullen is an entrepreneur and CEO with over a decade of strategic and operational leadership spanning distribution, communications, consulting, and high-performance sport. A former professional athlete, she brings the same discipline and competitive focus from training and racing into building and scaling businesses.

Jessica has been recognized as Top 40 Under 40, Top Business Professional of the Year, Woman on the Rise, and an Emerging Leader in Finance and Investing. She is motivated to see the long-term potential of an organization and then support the structure, energy, and stewardship required to realize it.

Email: jessica@ravenrsm.com

With over twenty years of experience in exclusive event management, Kam brings efficiency and professionalism to each of our private clients.  Kam’s ability to deliver the training you need in a cost-effective and time-saving manner has made her indispensable to our private course clients across Canada.

When she’s not delivering precision service here in our office, you’ll find Kam relaxing at her lakefront property… and when we say relaxing, we mean renovating and landscaping…

Email: kam @ ravenrsm. com

Since 1979, Len has worked in diverse pre-hospital related professions. He still is a part-time Advanced Care Paramedic with the Nipissing District Paramedic service. For 18 years he fulfilled various leadership positions with the Hamilton Paramedic Service including: professional development, planning, and special operations.  In addition to his “on the road” experience, Len provides an expanded scope of Paramedic practice at large music festivals, marathons and multi day athletic events.  

Being raised on a hunting/fishing lodge in northern Ontario, Len has the Canadian shield etched in his heart.  Len has bachelor’s degrees in both Physical Education and teacher education – specializing in outdoor education.  He has worked for Outward Bound Canada (OBC), adjudicated youth, and high school outdoor programs. Len volunteered for OBC for over 20 years as a member of its National Safety Committee. Len is still active in “outdoor education” leading his family’s 3rd generation on canoe trips –6 is a perfect age to start white water paddling!

Len has been teaching wilderness medical programs since the mid 1980’s. He has taught courses in 10 countries around the world.  From “north of 60” to across central and South America. He taught the first wilderness medical program in mainland China.  Len’s favourite aspect of teaching is adopting medical training programs to meet the needs of diverse students. Len is a regular presenter at wilderness conferences and actively conducts research in various aspects of wilderness medicine. 

Email: len@ravenrsm.com

After some time behind a desk at Raven Safety, it became evident that Regan’s knowledge deserved to get delivered in person.  Clients requiring site visits benefit immediately from Regan’s thorough understanding of standards and legislations.  His ability to cut through the confusion of red tape to deliver actionable safe work procedures and safety programs has gained him respect in the industry, and documents produced by him dovetail seamlessly into existing OH&S programs.

We’re proud to bring Regan to our safety clients.

Rob has been guiding and instructing outdoor skills for over 10 years. He has guided paddling expeditions in the Canadian North, Alberta and Ontario. Rob holds a BA in geography, Bachelor of Physical Health and Education and most recently a Bachelor of Education with a specialty in Outdoor Education.  Rob has been a fulltime firefighter with Calgary Fire since 2014, and is an Aquatic Surface Rescue Team Member.

Rob has the most amazing wife and cutest little daughter – they call Canmore home, and they love to mountain bike, ski, hike and paddle.  Rob is also the co-founder of Connected in Motion – an organization whose mission is to unite people with type one diabetes who want to live healthy outdoor lifestyles through outdoor experiential learning opportunities.

Email: rob @ ravenrsm. com

As Executive Director of Raven RSM, Ron has accumulated over 20 years of experience delivering rescue and medical courses across the globe.

Ron’s ability to connect with clients with relevancy and clarity has been cultivated through years of experience in high risk environments working as a Fire Fighter, Search and Rescue Technician, Expedition Guide, Soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces and experiential educator.

Ron has authored field guides, technical papers, consulted as a subject matter expert, spoken at many conferences and has sat on numerous technical committees. He has extensive knowledge and experience in risk management, leadership, communication, standards/regulations and the development of Safety programs. Ron is an accomplished leader, entrepreneur and innovator who is passionate about sharing knowledge, learning, and is never satisfied with the status quo.

Email: ron@ravenrsm.com

Sarah joined our team as our Ontario course coordinator. Known to many in the river community as ‘Sass’, Sarah got her start in whitewater working at MKC, eventually becoming a guide manager at OWL Rafting. This was complemented by many seasons of working in the Canadian Rockies as a ski patroller and avalanche technician at Sunshine Village ski and snowboard resort. Drawing from her years of experience trip leading and working in customer service for both Parks Canada & Ontario Parks Sarah will help keep our eastern office organized and running smoothly.

Travis has been professionally teaching and guiding a wide variety of outdoor skills for over 10 years. He has led a number of river expeditions across Northern Canada, he is a certified paddling instructor, avalanche safety instructor, ski/snowboard instructor and instructor for the Canadian Safety Council. He is a Raven Medical instructor, and an instructor trainer for Raven Rescue’s swiftwater, jetboat, and ice programs.  Travis is a dynamic and experienced instructor and we are proud to have him as part of our team. 

Email: travis@ravenrsm.com