William Gillett
Dean, Okanagan School of Business
wgillett@okanagan.bc.ca
Office Centre For Learning 217E
Kelowna Campus
250-762-5445 ext. 4224
Bill came to higher education administration with a wealth of business, professional and geographic experience. A lawyer by training, he began his career in 1983 as a commercial litigator at a small firm in Detroit, Michigan and subsequently moved to Shearman & Sterling in New York City where his practice centered on mergers and acquisitions and securities law, primarily for clients in the insurance industry. From there, he moved to Seattle as in-house counsel for an insurance group engaged in business throughout the United States, managing regulatory matters and transactions as the group sought to maximize value through the disposition of its operations. Bill then moved to Manchester, New Hampshire with the RiverStone Group, a global leader in the management of discontinued and run-off insurance portfolios. After a stint managing the European operations of the group from London, he returned to New Hampshire as President of RiverStone.
In 2010, after 27 years in law and business, primarily within the insurance industry, Bill accepted the position as Dean of the School of Business at Southern New Hampshire University, a leader in innovation in higher education in the U.S. During his tenure as Dean at SNHU, Bill led the development of the Degree-in-Three business bachelor’s degree program, incorporating a unique integrated and competency-focused approach to business education.
In 2016, he was appointed to the Christos and Mary Papoutsy Distinguished Chair in Ethics and Social Responsibility in which he conducted research in the local responses to refugee resettlement worldwide and refugee entrepreneurship in New Hampshire. The Papoutsy Chair allowed Bill to delve deeper into the work he had done as a member of the Board of Directors, including seven years as Board chair, with the International Institute of New England, a refugee and immigrant support organization for Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Bill began his appointment as Dean of the Okanagan School of Business on August 1, 2017 with a deep appreciation of the successful history of the business programs at Okanagan College and excitement at the growth and opportunities for students and the Okanagan community that exist at the College today.
Associations and Board Memberships:
International Institute of New England (2007 - 2017)
New Hampshire High Tech Council (2011 – 2016)
New Hampshire Public Radio (2008 – 2014)
Credentials
B.S.F.S. (International Studies) Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
J.D. University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, Michigan