meet the team

leadership team

Meet the passionate leaders behind H2O—our dedicated team is responsible for leading our staff, driving innovation, and upholding the highest standards of instruction to create a safe and supportive environment where every student can thrive and develop a lifelong love of swimming.

Kaley Irving

As an elite synchronized swimmer who competed across Canada and earned several championships, Kaley retired in 2004. Her love for the water grew into a passion for teaching. After years of coaching and research, she developed the award-winning AQUA-Lit™ Curriculum© to help swimmers of all ages build confidence and skills.
She founded H2O Academy in 2015 to create a fun, welcoming space where families can learn to swim safely. What started with 60 students has grown into a full-time swim school with a talented team and thousands of families thriving in the water.

Naomi Balsillie

Naomi is the Operations Manager at H2O Academy. Before moving into this role, Naomi has held many titles at H2O: Teacher, Program Supervisor, H2O @ Home Coordinator, and Assistant Manager.
Naomi’s love for aquatics began with time spent at her cottage in the summer growing up, where she learned how to swim in the lake. She began artistic swimming at the age of 7 with Winnipeg Synchro, and swam competitively for 10 years. Naomi competed at the high-performance level for 4 years and was a member of Manitoba’s Provincial Team. She has been coaching artistic swimming for 6 years and is currently coaching with Aquatica Synchro Club. Naomi holds a 4-year Bachelor of Arts degree from Canadian Mennonite University majoring in Psychology. When she’s not at the pool, Naomi enjoys camping, making music, attending concerts, and spending time with her family and friends.

Ella Woelke

Ella has worked at H2O Academy as a Receptionist, Teacher, and Supervisor before taking on her role as Training and Development Manager. She is a former artistic (synchronized) swimmer and has been swimming since she was a baby. She strives to share her love for the water with swimmers of all ages and keeps learning positive and fun. Ella also loves to praise all progress big or small and enjoys seeing her students become stronger, more confident swimmers every class. Ella builds connections with students and parents to help her teach each student in a way that will help them achieve their full potential.
Ella is currently working towards a degree in Human Resources and Labour Relations and she enjoys spending time with her dogs, reading and crocheting!

Erin is the Office Manager at H2O Academy. Erin has worked at H2O for the past two years in various roles, and now manages all of the admin. Erin has always loved being active, especially through playing volleyball and running, but has a history in swimming from competing in triathlons and spending time at a surf school in Costa Rica. Outside of her work at H2O, Erin is a professional photographer specializing in weddings and family photography. Erin enjoys reading, spending time with her friends and family, and listening to live music, especially at a music festival.