An accomplished and skilled administrator with extensive experience in post-secondary education will join the Leadership Team of Okanagan College in August with the arrival of James Barmby to the role of Regional Dean Shuswap-Revelstoke.

Barmby will come to Okanagan College from Thompson Rivers University (TRU), where he is currently Director of Program Delivery of the Open Learning Division. Prior to joining TRU in 2007, Barmby accrued more than 21 years of experience in Alberta’s post-secondary sector.

He will replace Regional Dean Lynda Wilson, who is retiring in August after nearly a decade of dedicated and valued service to the College.

“We’re very fortunate to have Jim join our team,” said Dr. Andrew Hay, Vice President Education at Okanagan College. “He is a very capable individual and will be able to build upon the wonderful legacy that our outgoing dean, Lynda Wilson, has created. While Lynda will be missed, we know that Jim will continue to develop Okanagan College in the Shuswap-Revelstoke region.”

Though he spent the majority of his career working in Alberta, Barmby has closely followed Okanagan College’s recent growth and success under President Jim Hamilton.

“I have been so impressed with the leadership at Okanagan College,” said Barmby. “It is just phenomenal what Okanagan College has been able to achieve in the past few years. The opportunity to work with this kind of leadership team does not come along very often and I jumped at the chance to become a part of it.”

Barmby holds two undergraduate degrees from the University of Calgary, a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education. He earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Alberta and is currently completing his doctoral dissertation for a Doctor of Education from the University of Calgary.

His experience in post-secondary began in 1986 at Alberta Advanced Education, highlighted by a four-year assignment as Special Assistant to the Deputy Minister. In 1994 he stepped into the role of Senior Writer and Planning Consultant for the ministry, during which time he worked with a team of senior government officials and consultants to draft the Klein government’s New Directions for Adult Learning in Alberta.

After working with Alberta’s Ministry of Advanced Education and Career Development, Barmby began a 13-year relationship with DeVry Institute of Technology, where he held a series of leadership roles including Dean of Business, Dean of Computer Information Systems and finally, the chief academic officer, Dean of Academic Affairs. 

He also served for many years on the Calgary Chamber of Commerce Education and Training Committee, including two years as its Chair, which led to the creation of the annual Career Show, the largest event of its kind in Alberta.

In his current role as Director of Program Delivery at TRU Barmby manages the continuous delivery of more than 400 print and web-based distance education courses to more than 16,000 students annually in the Open Learning division.

“I am really looking forward to working with the people of the Shuswap-Revelstoke region,” said Barmby. “Building on Lynda Wilson’s great success, I see a tremendous potential to bring even more educational opportunities to the region due to the spirit of the community, its commitment to quality of life and its reputation.