OKANAGAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Business & Office Administration Advisor
Job Titles:
- Administrative Coordinator
Amolkdeep Kaur is a third-year accounting student in the Okanagan School of Business. When not in classes or with spending time with family and friends, Amolk works as a Commercial Insurance and Accounting Assistant, and has held past roles as an Insurance Advisor and Insurance Reconciliation Specialist. Throughout her term as a student governor, Amolk is excited to provide a voice for OC students at the Board table.
Andrea Alexander is a Councillor for Westbank First Nation, where she has served since 2019. Prior to being elected, Andrea was the Executive Assistant to Westbank First Nation Council. She has been active in the community, sitting on the Regional District of Central Okanagan Electoral Area Services Committee, SICA Board, Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission, Okanagan Nation Alliance Syilx Indian Residential School Committee, and the WFN Economic Development Commission. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous Studies from the University of British Columbia Okanagan, as well as a certificate in Indigenous Leadership, Governance, and Management Excellence from the Indigenous Leadership Program at the Banff Centre.
Bree Cawley graduated from the Bachelor of Business Administration program in 1999 since then has made her mark in communications, marketing and non-profit leadership for a host of organizations.
Job Titles:
- Program Assistant ( on Leave )
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- Health, Wellbeing and Disability Mgmt Specialist
Prior to her retirement in 2021, Cindy Battersby was an ������̳���� employee for 30 years, most recently as a Financial Awards Analyst with Student Services. During her career, Cindy served as Vice President, Administration for the BC Association of Student Awards Professionals. She also held various roles with the British Columbia General Employees Union (BCGEU) including Vice President, Component 7 (Education, Science, Tech and Admin), as well as the role of Treasurer from 2011 to 2019. Cindy studied Business Administration and attended studies at both ������̳���� and Mount Royal College. She lives in Peachland with her husband.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Retired Financial Services Executive With TD Bank
Dale Safinuk is a retired Financial Services Executive with TD Bank and most recently served as District Vice President. In this role he was responsible for overseeing TD's retail operations and developing strategic partnerships throughout the southern interior of BC. His career at TD Bank Group spans over 20 years in a variety of diverse roles including: Call Centre Management, Credit Centre Management and he has also worked in Branch Banking and Commercial Banking.
Dale has previously served on the Advisory Board for Ch'nook Indigenous Students Education at UBC; as Co-Chair of TD's Diversity Leadership Council for Indigenous people; was a member of TD's National Committee for Indigenous people; and served as Board Member with TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. He is a past Director (Vice Chair) for the United Way of Kamloops and past Director (Treasurer) for United Way of Trail. Other community organizations include: Kelowna Minor Hockey, Derrick Figure Skating Club (Edmonton), along with Rotary clubs in Kamloops and Trail.
Job Titles:
- Director of National Business Development, CIBC OC Program of St.
Destiny McNish is a third-year Arts student working towards an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree specializing in English and Sociology. Passionate about accessibility, advocacy, equity, and inclusion, Destiny is proud to be involved in various volunteer opportunities at OC's Kelowna campus. In 2022, with the help of some incredibly supportive faculty, Destiny founded OC Kelowna's student-led Accessibility Alliance - an agreement among students and faculty to work together to make OC more accessible. In early 2023, Destiny had the privilege of speaking to her fellow disabled and neurodiverse students as a Student Consultant, gathering their insight and experiential knowledge to inform OC's Accessibility Plan. Afterwards, Destiny joined OC's Accessibility Committee as a proud student member.
Through her work with the Board of Governors, Destiny hopes to continue her advocacy work while acting as a voice for the students. After OC, Destiny hopes to get a master's degree in social work (M.S.W.) or English (M.A.) and a Doctorate in Philosophy (Ph.D) specializing in Community Engagement, Social Change, and Equity. Education can be life-changing, and Destiny hopes to build a career making education more accessible for marginalized students and students with disabilities.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Compensation & Transformation
Dr. Neil Fassina became ������̳����'s President in April 2021, drawn to the institution for its reputation for transforming lives and communities.
Fassina holds a PhD in Management from the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto, a BSc in Psychology from the University of Calgary and is a chartered professional in human resources (CPHR), and a chartered director through the Institute of Chartered Directors (ICD.D). As an active researcher, he has authored or co-authored a number of refereed articles, a Canadian Human Resource Management text, and pursues research interests in negotiations, applied decision making, and the role of education in shaping societies.
Prior to joining OC, Fassina was the President of Athabasca University (2016-21). He served previously as Provost and Vice President Academic at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and the Dean of the JR Shaw School of Business and School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts. He has taught as part of his academic career at the University of Toronto, the University of Calgary, the University of Manitoba, and in executive environments.
Job Titles:
- Founder and CEO of Rebellious Unicorns Production Company
Dustyn Baulkham is the founder and CEO of Rebellious Unicorns Production Company. Previously he was the General Manager of the Kelowna Pride Society and the Executive Director of the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan. Mr. Baulkham is active in his community currently serving as a Director on the Central Okanagan Foundation and previously as the President and Treasurer of the Kelowna Pride Society. He holds a Bachelor of Management from UBC Okanagan.
Job Titles:
- Business Admissions & Advising Administrator
Job Titles:
- Student Services Assistant
Job Titles:
- Associate Vice President, People Services
Job Titles:
- Administration Team
- Director, International Education
Job Titles:
- Education Advisors
- International Education Advising
Job Titles:
- Student Services Assistant
Job Titles:
- Manager, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Wellbeing
Job Titles:
- Marketing Recruitment Specialist - Malaysia, Middle East, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, South Korea
- Marketing Team
Job Titles:
- Educational & Study Abroad Advisor
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Department of Communications
- Ex - Officio
Jillian Garrett (she/her) is incoming Chair of the Department of Communications at ������̳���� and Chair of Education Council. As a member of the local disability community, Jillian works passionately to combat ableism and promote equity and accessibility; she has spent decades volunteering in the public health sector as a patient advocate and proudly sits on ������̳����'s Accessibility Committee. She also sits on the Boards of the Kelowna Art Gallery and Advocacy Canada LGBT.
Jillian's teaching and subject matter expertise include visual culture, critical disability studies, inclusive pedagogies, cultural theory, environmental communication, argumentation and persuasion, and professional communication. Jillian's scholarly interests primarily focus on issues around visual culture, including how collective and cultural memory is created and sustained through public monuments and memorials; the function of visual culture in times of national crisis; and the pedagogical role of public art in urban culture.
JoAnn Fowler is a Mentor for new Social Workers for the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD). Previously Ms. Fowler was a Delegated Social Worker with MCFD. During her career at MCFD, she worked in Child Protection, with Adults with Disabilities, Children with Special Needs, in Youth Services and in Guardianship. Ms. Fowler also was Seconded as a Resource Social Worker and Director of Child Welfare Department for the Splatsin Band. Active in her community, she is President of the Shuswap Children's Association, Treasurer for the Enderby and District Community Resource Centre, and a Member of the Ashton Creek Riverside Community. Previously Ms. Fowler was Chairperson and Shop Steward for the BC Government Employees' Union Local 605. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Victoria.
Joe Baker is multi-passionate leader within Canada's education, tourism and hospitality sectors and a vocal advocate for an inclusive, future-forward workforce.
Prior to joining ������̳���� School of Business, Joe was an active entrepreneur and consultant. Splitting his time between national and provincial workforce development projects, media and publishing, and leadership speaking engagements; Joe brings a wealth of diverse experience to his role as Dean.
He was previously Dean at Centennial College's School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts where he led the most meaningful transformation in the school's over 50-year history including the creation of a dynamic experiential learning eco-system.
Joe has held senior management roles at George Brown College's Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts including Director of Operations, Services and Partnerships. Before joining higher education, he worked in hotels and managed restaurants.
He has a Master of Education, a Bachelor of Commerce and extensive executive education and certifications. Joe serves proudly on the board of directors for Tourism HR Canada (THRC) and Co-operative and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL).
Juliette Cunningham served as Chair of the OC Board of Governors in 2022 and 2023.
Juliette was previously a Councillor in Vernon and the Vice-Chair of the Regional District of the North Okanagan, Vice-Chair of the Okanagan Basin Water Board as well as a business owner. She has served on the Vantage One Credit Union Board as a Director since 2020 and chairs their ESG Committee. She also has an extensive history of working with non-profit Boards such as the Women's Centre, Junction Literacy, People Place, Museum and the Early Years Council.
Job Titles:
- Student Services Assistant
Job Titles:
- People Services Business Partner
Job Titles:
- People Services Associate
Kerry Rempel brings a variety of experiences to her current role as Associate Dean of Business. Prior to taking on the Associate Dean role in 2023, she taught primarily in the management and human resources areas of the BBA, coached competition teams, and was a faculty lead for the Scotia Bank Centre for Nonprofit Excellence. She served as the Chair of the Business Department from 2019-2022 and led the development of several new programs for. In addition to roles with the Business Department, Kerry also led the OC Strategic Planning process for 2015-2020.
Her early industry experience was focused on operations management and management consulting in the fields of recreation, athletics, print and digital media and tech. In 2003, she moved to Kelowna to transition from corporate work to build a consulting practice focused on nonprofit organizations. That fall she made her first connection with ������̳���� and by January 2004 was teaching in the Business Department. She continues to work with industry by supporting work-integrated learning opportunities for students.
Kerry is also active in the region conducting community-based research, developing and leading workshops, and consulting with nonprofits and social enterprises. Along with other colleagues, she works to integrate her research into the community through the creation of teaching cases and the production of community reports and toolkits.
Job Titles:
- Operations & Portfolio Specialist
In her role as an Associate Dean of the Okanagan School of Business, Laura works with a leadership team and approx. 90 faculty and staff serving 1,500 Business students across four campuses in the Okanagan, Similkameen, and Shuswap areas. Most recently, she was an Associate Dean in the Science, Technology and Health portfolio at ������̳���� working with 13 departments in the Science and Technology areas.
As an active member of her local business community Laura is very aware of the challenges facing businesses today and strives to help new and existing businesses develop and expand. Laura is a past President of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, a past Director of the British Columbia Wine Authority, a current Board Director with CPHR BC & Yukon, and the current Board President of KCR Community Resources.
In addition to her professional career, Laura and her husband own a small business operating in the Central Okanagan. Laura enjoys an active Okanagan lifestyle finding time for skiing, golfing, kayaking and camping.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Coordinator
Job Titles:
- People Services Systems Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Marketing Recruitment Specialist - China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Indonesia and Caribbean
Marcel Beerkens joined Okanagan University College in 1998 and transitioned to ������̳���� in 2005. For many years, Marcel and his wife have been pleased to host a number of ������̳���� International Education students. Until recently, Marcel served six years as the BCGEU Support Staff Bargaining Unit Chairperson. Well versed in labour relations and occupational health and safety, he continues to apply his knowledge, skills and abilities on various committees both internally and externally.
Marcel holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Regina with a major in Psychology and received a technical designation from CompTIA in 2001 and a TESL Certificate from ������̳���� in 2004. In the pursuit of life-long learning, Marcel has enrolled in many of the annual professional development opportunities as offered by his employer and union.
Matt Kavanagh joined the Department of English at ������̳���� in 2007. He served three terms as department chair between 2009 and 2019 and also participated on various college committees, including Education Council and the ������̳���� Faculty Association Council.
Hailing from Southern Ontario, Matt's studies took him to McGill University (Ph.D) and McMaster University (MA, BA). He is a scholar of contemporary American fiction and literary representations of finance. He also specializes in film studies as well as psychoanalytic theory. He lives in Kelowna with his three children.
Job Titles:
- Marketing Recruitment Specialist - Mexico, South America, USA and Europe
Job Titles:
- International Education Advising
Job Titles:
- Pension & Benefits Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Operations & Portfolio Specialist ( on Leave )
Job Titles:
- Manager, Employee Relations
Job Titles:
- Marketing Recruitment Specialist - Japan and Africa
Job Titles:
- Advising and Recruitment Coordinator
Job Titles:
- People Services Business Partner
Job Titles:
- Operations & Portfolio Specialist
Job Titles:
- International Student Settlement
- Student Services
Job Titles:
- People Services Associate
Job Titles:
- People Services Associate
Tina Lee is an experienced communications and strategy professional from Penticton whose human rights and development work has spanned six continents and has ranged from influencing United Nations activity to developing municipal community engagement processes.