Executive Director
Anders has a passion for changing how the world sees transportation. At heart, he is an artist (with a background in multi-media, animation and painting), and he prefers to show visions of the future rather than explain them. However, thanks to a penchant for always listening, and being constantly surrounded by skilled professionals and indefatigable community members, he has learned the in and outs of active transportation facility design, and the messages and strategies needed to make dreams happen. He now does whatever it takes to enable others.
Anders is proud to have been intimately involved with the development and ongoing work of other Winnipeg organizations like Bike Winnipeg, Natural Cycle, the WRENCH and Green Action Centre, as well as national and international ones like Velo Canadai and the Winter Cycling Federation. He’s won various awards like a Diamond Jubilee medal, and visionary awards from the MB Eco Network and the Downtown BIZ, but his greatest reward is, by far, sitting quietly next to a pathway that may not have happened had he not been there to help, seeing smiling faces go by. He is well known internationally for his work on projects like CounterPoint, Plain Bicycle, BikeWalkRoll, and the Winter Cycling Congress and has written pieces for the Guardian, and the Free Press. His websites, logo designs, photography and policy-writing has contributed imagery and ideas used for hundreds of projects and policies. He appears regularly on local media to increase our knowledge of how active transportation an should work for everyone.
Anders became involved with Winnipeg Trails as a volunteer 15 years ago, only recently taking on a staff role, and still considers himself to be a volunteer at the end of long days when things just need to get done. In 2016, he took on a small formal role as a project coordinator and then finally as an ED a little while later, where he oversaw the formal incorporation of Winnipeg Trails and the adoption of an incredibly talented board for whom he now works. He gets to dream big with organizations and individuals all over the city, finding ways to make things happen. As our ED, he develops projects, meets with decision makers, writes grants, runs staff meetings, fixes the occasional bicycle and sweeps the floor. He derives most of his pleasure from growing what was once a small, but powerful organization into an even more thoughtful, even more action-oriented and even more helpful one capable of big and small projects simultaneously, always with an innovative and inclusive team of people for whom is extremely grateful.
