Board of Governors

Members of the Board of Governors

Vice-Chair Connie Denesiuk has a long history of community involvement in the South Okanagan region of British Columbia, including many years as school trustee and Board Chair in the Okanagan Skaha School District.

She has also served as President of the B.C. School Trustees Association. Connie and her husband Bob have been partners in a construction business for more than 30 years.

Term: March 6, 2012 to Sept. 30, 2013 (appointed)

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Rick Gee (Ex officio) is the Chair of the Education Council. He has taught in the Computer Science department at Okanagan College since 1985, serving as the department chair for much of that time. Based in Kelowna, he is a former Okanagan University College Education Council member, and served as chair of its PPDC subcommittee.

Jim Hamilton (Ex officio) has been the President of Okanagan College since 2004. His professional association with the College dates back to 1980 when he arrived to teach English at the Vernon campus. Currently, he serves as Chair of the BC Council for International Education. He has also served as Chair of the Trades Training Consortium of British Columbia and Chair of BC Colleges. Additional posts include his position as Board member of the Asia Pacific Gateway Skills Table, member of the British Columbia Council for Admissions and Transfer, and Director of the Irving K. Barber British Columbia Scholarship Society. He holds a Master’s Degree in English Literature from Queen’s University.

Lance Kayfish is a risk management expert employed by the City of Kelowna, with a background in post-secondary education management. He has worked with the City since 2003 as Risk Manager and before that worked with the University of Calgary as Manager of Safety Services.  Previous board experience includes a three-year term on the Alberta Student Finance Board (responsible for oversight of Alberta's student loan system, provincial scholarships and bursaries). He has also served on the University of Calgary's Senate and General Faculties Council.

Term: Jan. 18, 2007 to Sept. 30, 2013  (appointed)

Douglas Manning is a self-employed Educational Consultant. Previously, he was the Chief Executive Officer, President and Director of Bridges.com, North America's leading provider of career and educational planning solutions. He spent 20 years in the education sector as a high school teacher, counsellor and district administrator of career programs. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a Master of Arts in Psychological Foundations, and is a former member of the Premier’s Technology Council, and former Director of the Career Education Society.

Term: July 31, 2010 to July 31, 2014 (appointed)

Robert McGowan is retired and resides in Kelowna, B.C. During his professional career he has served as Chief Financial Officer of two publicly-trades companies and is a former Board member and Audit Committee Chairman of a publicly-traded company in the software industry.  he is a graduate of the University of Winnipeg with a B.Sc. degree in mathematics and is a Chartered Accountant (BC) and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Manitoba (FCA). Bob has served on the board of several not-for-profit organizations and is a former President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Manitoba.

Term: Jan. 31, 2013 to July 31, 2014 (appointed)

Dr. Sunddip Nahal is an online Teacher with School District 83 in Salmon Arm and a Human Resources and educational and business Consultant through her company Generation: Outreach. She is a frequent Radio Talk Show Host of RJ 1200 Radio Station and television talk show host on Joy TV as an expert on education. She is a member of University of British Columbia Girlz, British Columbia Teachers Federation, and is the President of the Vernon Punjabi Heritage Society. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, a Bachelor of Education in Secondary School Education from the University of British Columbia, a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction and a Doctorate in Leadership and Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Term: July 31, 2010 to July 31, 2014 (appointed)

Yvonne Pinder is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and a Fellow of the Society of Management Accountants of Canada. She has extensive experience as a senior financial executive for organizations in the Health and Education sectors including Okanagan College, the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology, and Parkridge Centre for long term care (Saskatoon). She holds an MBA from the University of Saskatchewan.

Term: Oct. 9, 2008 to July 31, 2014 (approved)

Lianne Rozniak has worked for more than 20 years in the College’s Office of the Registrar. Five years ago she became the Coordinator of Records & Registration. She assists in the provision of computerized registration and records functions for all programs throughout the College. In 2007, she sat on the Education Council.

Term: Aug. 1, 2009 to July 31, 2015 (elected)

Loretta Swite-Ghostkeeper is a member of the Westbank First Nation, and sits as a councillor for the Chief and Council. She graduated from Okanagan College's Civil Engineering Technology Program in 2001, and is Chair of the Aboriginal Education Committee at School District 23.

Term: Oct. 9, 2008 to July 31, 2014 (appointed)

Laura Thurnheer is a Professor at the Okanagan School of Business at Okanagan College, where she specializes in the areas of Strategic Management, Human Resources Management and Tourism. She is a Past President of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce and currently is a Director with the British Columbia Wine Authority. In addition, she is a Director of Kelowna Community Resources and the Central Okanagan United Way.

Term: Aug. 1, 2012 to July 31, 2015 (elected)

Zachary Webster is a fourth-year business student at Okanagan College, who successfully represented the College in the Queen’s Inter-Collegiate Business Competition as a member of the first place business ethics team. Webster has strong interests in moral philosophy, and interdisciplinary education. He works at the College as a part-time researcher and teaching assistant, and previously served as the student representative on the UBC Okanagan Senate.

Term: Nov. 1, 2012 to Oct. 31, 2013 (elected)

Javid (Jingwei) Wu is a fourth-year business student at Okanagan College, majoring in Hospitality and Tourism Management. He is the Okanagan College Students’ Union Executive Chairperson and sits as a representative on the executive committee of the Canadian Federation of Students – BC division. An active volunteer, he is also the president of the Okanagan College Chinese Students’ Union and the Campus Diversity Working Group. He aims to bring a strong voice to the board on the needs of both domestic and international students.

Term: Nov. 1, 2012 to Oct. 31, 2013 (elected)