Regional Advisory Committee

Dr. Gary Dickinson (Chair) 
Dr. Gary Dickinson worked in B.C. secondary schools, colleges, and universities for 35 years until he retired in 2001. The last 20 years were at Okanagan College and Okanagan University College where he served as South Okanagan Regional Director for 5 years and Dean of the Faculty of Adult and Continuing Education for 15 years. He was also Acting Vice-President, Academic for the 1.5 years prior to his retirement. Since 2002, Gary has followed up on his interest in continuing education by serving as President of the Society for Learning in Retirement, a 700 member organization providing educational programs for seniors in the Central Okanagan.  Gary and his wife Barbara have six grown children and were foster parents for 20 years.

Bill Downey
Mr. Downey received a Master Degree in Social Work from UBC, Bachelor of Arts from the University of Winnipeg and completed many specialized courses including Management and Leadership programs.  His experience  includes being a member/analyst of the Task Force on Community Investments in Ottawa, Executive Director of  Kelowna Community Resources, Area Manager for Skills Development Division for the Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology, sessional instructor for Okanagan College and University of Victoria, Area Manager for the Ministry of Health and Probation Officer for the Corrections Branch, Ministry of the Attorney General Vancouver office as well as a P.O. for the Department of Health and Social Development in Manitoba.

Community involvement includes being a member of the Kelowna Centennial Steering Committee, Member of OUC Bachelor of Social Work Advisory Committee, Member of the City of Kelowna Social Planning Board as well as the Civic Awards Steering and Selection Committee, Central Okanagan Restorative Justice Committee, Member of the Board of Directors for Community Futures Development Corporation, Member of the Okanagan Advisory Committee for UVic School of Social Work, Member of the Board of Directors (VP) for the Elizabeth Fry Society and Coach for Minor Soccer and Basketball.

Bruce Stevens
Bruce Stevens’ background is Consulting Engineering and is currently employed as a Business Counsellor and Analyst for Community Futures Development Corp. of the Central Okanagan. He a Director on the Board of Applied Science Technologists of BC and is a member of the Program Advisory Committee for the Civil Engineering department at OC. Bruce also teaches part time for the BCIT Technology Management Degree program. Mr. Stevens is currently working with Tom Roemer of OC and Jim Duncan of BCIT in addressing the shortage of candidates for the technology based careers.

Craig Monley
Craig Monley has been involved in the Boys and Girls Club for the past 18 years as a director and then CEO. This organization has merged eleven independent non-profit societies into one cohesive valley-wide, Child, Youth and Family Service Agency. Mr. Morley was also the Executive Director of Vernon Boys and Girls Club from 1985 to 1998. He was involved in fundraising, construction of a facility and development of new program directions. Craig was the founding member of the Ogopogo Rotary Club, Associate Coordinator of Special Education for School District #59, Counsellor for Alternate Education, Educational Researcher for District Educational Needs Assessments reporting to the Provincial Association of Secondary Principals.  In 1971 to 1974 Mr. Monley was both the Club Director and Outdoor and Camping Director for the Boys and Girls Club in Edmonton.  Craig Monley maintains interest in continuous learning with Leadership and Organizational Development courses from UBC School of Commerce and the Sauder School of Business.

Dan Plamondon
Dan Plamondon has been appointed Director of Development Services at the Regional District of Central Okanagan. Dan has recently relocated to the Okanagan from Toronto Ontario where he served in the Provincial Government as Vice President of the Ontario Realty Corporation in charge of design and construction of public capital projects.

Dan is a graduate of Okanagan College, has an undergraduate degree in economics and planning from the University of Victoria and a graduate degree in Architecture from the University of Calgary.

Dave McAnerney
Dave McAnerney is an Executive Director with Sun-Rype Ltd. and responsible for that companies overall plant production and operations. This is a position he has held since 2005. Mr. McAnerney supervises over 250 of the company’s trades, operations, administration and clerical staff involved in Sunrype’s manufacturing production.

Previous to this position he was the Brewery Manager for Columbia Brewery in Creston BC. a partner of Labatt’s Brewery.  While in Creston, he served on many community and volunteer boards including two terms on the College of the Rockies Board of Governors. Dave is married with two children and he is an active supporter of post-secondary education and learning in his community.

John Perrott
John Perrott, BBA (’03), is the Business Development Officer for the District of West Kelowna. Previously, John was the Executive Director of the DKA since the fall of 2003.  Before that he spent nearly four years as the Association’s Marketing Director initiating corporate communications, promotions, and overseeing the BIZ Patrol summer student program. In the summer of 2007, John was promoted to Executive Director where he took over the day to day operations and management of the Association. He successfully guided the Association to one of its strongest mandate renewal in 2008 with 99% of members voting to extend the Association’s mandate to 2013. His work with the Association has lead to speaking engagements at provincial and international conferences on a variety of downtown management topics.

Aside from the many community committees associated with his job, John currently serves as the Vice President of the Business Improvement Area Association of British Columbia. He also sits on the Okanagan College Alumni Board, and was appointed to the Services Canada Employment Insurance Board of Referees in 2008.

When not enjoying his days downtown, John will most likely be found cycling, on the golf course throughout the summer or at Big White in the winter where he teaches skiing to children and adults.

Keith Fielding


Keith retired from a lengthy career with the City of Toronto as Director of Human Resources and Director of Management Consulting. He has wide management and management consulting experience in the public sector including the Bermuda government where was employed for seven years. Previous to that Mr. Fielding was with the British broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the Greater London Council in England.

Prior to being elected as Mayor of Peachland, Keith served in a volunteer capacity as President of the Peachland Wellness Centre Society and as Chair of the Seniors Housing Steering Committee. He enjoys creative writing and is working on his second mystery novel.

Keith and his wife Olive have lived in Peachland for the past nine years.

Lorraine McGrath


 Lorraine McGrath has received the Honorary Fellow distinction based on her visionary leadership, public service and record of mentorship in the Okanagan. She was recently chosen as the recipient of the prestigious Sarah Donalda Treadgold Memorial Award for Woman of the Year and in 2001 was the recipient of the Woman of Distinction, Lifetime Achievement Award. Both awards recognize her outstanding record of service and volunteerism holding positions such as President of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, Co-founder and Vice-Chair of Okanagan Innovation Fund, steward of the Okanagan Partnership, Co-Founder/Co-Chair of the Business Excellence Awards, Director of the Central Okanagan’s Economic Development Commission, and Director of the Interior Health Authority to name just a few. She draws on her considerable experience in the business world and is in high demand as a business columnist and keynote speaker.

Marnie Manders
Marnie is a Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP) and has worked in every facet of the human resource field. She has 20 years experience, beginning as a Human Resource Coordinator with a Burnaby based technology company. Marnie became the Human Resource Manager in a union environment for Northside Industries on the Westside in 1994. She was promoted to Operations and Human Resource Manager in 2000, where she assumed responsibility for operations in a 200 employee manufacturing facility in addition to her labour relations and human resource requirements.

She entered the public sector in 2003 as a Human Resources Advisor for the City of Penticton. When the District of West Kelowna incorporated in 2008, she joined the team as their Human Resources Manager. She has been instrumental in the start-up of this new municipality and now holds the position of Director of Administration where she oversees the Human Resources, Recreation and Culture, RCMP and Corporate Services departments.

Marnie has vast experience in all areas of Human Resources management including collective bargaining, compensation, succession planning, recruitment and retention, benefit contract negotiations, benefits administration, apprenticeship programs, pension management, and return to work and attendance programs. She is also certified in Conflict Resolution and Negotiation.

Norm Bradley
Norm Bradley has recently been appointed Director of Instruction in the Central Okanagan (Kelowna) School District.  Norm has been an educator for 26 years, 16 as an administrator and 10 years as a principal.  Norm received his Master of Education degree from Simon Fraser and his Executive Coach Certification from Royal Roads.  Norm is a strong believer in the power of coaching to support leaders as they adapt to change, develop new skills, and move forward in their lives and careers.

Patti Kilback
Patti Kilback has lived in Kelowna since 1988 after growing up in Langley. Graduating from Langley Senior Secondary she took a year off to work on her graphic arts business, however one year lead to another and it was 2001 when she completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Okanagan University College.  Patti worked in Public Programming for five years at the Kelowna Art Gallery and has been involved with numerous projects in and around Kelowna’s Cultural District.  She is the Vice-president and co-founder of the arts group-CoolArts - which provides fine arts opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities living in the Okanagan. The Education and Public Programming Department at the Kelowna Museum is growing and Patti is planning many new programs.

Peter Withers

Peter J. Withers, President of Withers Development Associates has been a resident of British Columbia since 1974. A graduate in Law, Commerce and Arts, Peter Withers spent his early career with a large Mining organization in South Africa. In 1973, he and his wife immigrated to Canada and settled in North Vancouver and later, West Vancouver. They purchased their residence in Oyama in 2002. After several years as a senior manager with three of the larger Real Estate Development Companies in Vancouver, Peter established Withers Development Associates in 1981 to offer consulting and direct management services to clients with real estate development needs.

Committed to the community in which he lives, Peter Withers has played a leadership role in a number of local and national, business and community organizations, including UNICEF, Scouts Canada, the Vancouver Board of Trade, the Urban Development Institute, the St. Paul's Hospital Foundation, The Katherine Sandford Housing Society, and more recently the Lake Country Chamber of Commerce.

Robert Fine


Robert Fine has a degree in Urban Economics and has done Masters work at New York University.  Robert brought innovative programming to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario including GASAMO.  Mr. Fine has been in BC since 1989 where he worked for the Sea to Sky Economic Development Corp.  His many accomplishments include assisting in the development of Whistler, development of a booming film industry and the location for the Eco-Challenge.  He was the recipient of the “Economic Developer of the Year” by the Economic Development Assoc. of BC and the Bank of Montreal and the Doug Weir Memorial Award for dedication to the profession in 2004.  Mr. Fine is currently the Executive Director for the Economic Development Commission for the Central Okanagan Regional District located in Kelowna. He is the Past President of the Economic Developers Assoc. of BC and Canada. He was appointed to the 250 Committee of the Premier’s Progress Board focusing on economic development on the Province’s heartland and is a member of many community Boards including Rotary, the John Howard Society and Festival Kelowna.

Rod Barrett
Rod Barrett’s involvement with OC goes back 30 years. He was instrumental in forming the Penticton Education Committee, Curriculum Committee, Permanent Site Planning Committee as well teaching woodworking for Adult Education Services which later became Community Education Services Division.  Rod is a social worker as well as a member of the following PAC’s: Mechanical Engineering Technology, Early Childhood Education, Heavy Duty Mechanics and Bachelor of Social Work.  Mr. Barrett also served two terms as a member of the Board of Governors for OUC.  Rod has served as a City Councilor, Regional District Director, first Chair of the Regional Health Board, Chair of the Johnson-Bentley Pool Society, founding member of the Society for Braemore Lodge (psychiatric patients) as well as the Leir House Cultural Centre in Penticton. Most recently Rod has become a member of the Regional District of the Okanagan Similkameen Regional Growth Strategy committee. Currently, Rod is the Manager for the Ministry of Children and Family Development office. 
 
Ronald (Ron) L. Mattiussi

 
On June 1, 2006, Ron became the City of Kelowna’s new City Manager.
Ron was appointed Director of the Planning and Development Services Department of the City of Kelowna on March 1, 1995

Ron began his planning career in Northern Ontario with the Sault North Planning Board before moving to Alberta as a consultant with the Research and Planning Division of A.E. Le Page Commercial Real Estate in 1980. In 1982 Ron joined the Edmonton Metropolitan Regional Planning Commission as a Current Planner and rose through the ranks until his appointment as Executive Director on April 1, 1991.

Ron is a Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners. During the 2003 wildfire, Ron was Director of the Regional Emergency Operations Centre. Ron is married (Karen) and has two children, a daughter Lauren and a son Justin.

Weldon LeBlanc
Weldon LeBlanc is currently the Inter-Government Liaison at District of West Kelowna.  Previously, Weldon worked for 17 years with Boards of Directors at the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce where he was awarded the “Executive of the Year Award”. Previous to coming to Kelowna, Mr. LeBlanc worked for the Fredericton Chamber where six years in a row the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce awarded his office with the “Chamber of the Year Award”. Mr. LeBlanc has been recognized for outstanding leadership and successful business advocacy efforts. He has also worked extensively as the Marketing and Sales Manager for a company in New Brunswick. Weldon LeBlanc is involved with numerous professional, community, civic and not for profit organizations.