DAWSON CREEK – The Board of Governors of Northern Lights College has a new chair and several new members as it prepares for a busy 2012-13.
Karen Simpson, a financial planner with RBC and a former Fort St. John city councillor, is the new chair of the Board of Governors. She believes it is important for residents in the College region to know as much as possible about what NLC has to offer.
“I believe it is the Board’s responsibility, and certainly mine as Board chair, to tell the story of Northern Lights College,” Simpson said. “The Board’s mandate is to meet with as many groups and community members as we can. We need to boast about the Centre of Excellence for Oil and Gas in Fort St. John, the Centre of Excellence for Clean Energy in Dawson Creek, as well as the other quality programs that NLC is known for.”
The Board of Governors consists of members from across the College region appointed by the Government of British Columbia, as well as elected members who represent NLC faculty, support staff and students.
Joining Simpson as appointed members are: Dennis Armitage, John Kurjata, Gloria Lambert, Michael McPhail, Sharon Miller, and Robert Zeunert. Elected members are Edith Leer (NLC Faculty), Jack Napier (NLC Support Staff), and Janine Napoleon and Ashley Stewart (NLC students). Ex-officio members are NLC President Laurie Rancourt and chair of NLC’s Education Council Patricia McClelland.
The Board of Governors is empowered by the College and Institute Act of British Columbia to manage, administer and direct the affairs of the institution. The purpose of the Board is to represent the residents of the College region by ensuring that NLC achieves appropriate results. That is achieved, in part, by holding community meetings throughout the College’s service area, which stretches across the northern third of the province.
“As a Board, this year we have completed community meetings in Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, Chetwynd, and Tumbler Ridge,” Simpson said. “We want the communities to know that we are invested and want to provide accessible education. We will be making return visits to the communities for updates in the coming months.”
The Board of Governors holds monthly meetings in person and via videoconference on the third Wednesday of each month (except February and July). Meetings are open to the public.