Lister appointed as North Okanagan Regional Dean

 OKANAGAN COLLEGE NEWS RELEASE - APRIL 14, 2011

Lister to assume role as Okanagan College’s
Regional Dean for the North Okanagan

A prominent Vernon community leader will be assuming the role of Okanagan College’s North Okanagan Regional Dean in June.

Jane Lister, who has headed Community Futures Corporation of the North Okanagan for 20 years, will replace retiring Regional Dean John Lent.

“Okanagan College is a critical component in the cultural, social, and economic development of our region,” says Lister, who has a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree from UBC. “Over the past two decades, I’ve worked closely with the College in my role as General Manager of Community Futures, and in other capacities.” Lister served as a member of the College’s Board of Governors and was Vice-Chair. “I’m eager to help the College further develop its connections with and value to the region.”

“We’re pleased to have Jane join us,” says Okanagan College President Jim Hamilton. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked with her over the past two decades and I know that she will bring a dedication to education and service to the role.”

Lister acknowledges she’ll have big shoes to fill in replacing Lent, who retires after 32 years with the College. “John has a tremendous reputation as a teacher and casts a long shadow across the country as a poet and author. As a Dean, he’s helped focus the efforts of the staff at the College on the opportunities that are at hand in the region, and on better serving the needs of students here.”

Lent began his career with the College in 1978 when he was hired to teach an evening section of Business English at the Vernon campus. The following year he settled into a full-time teaching position in the English department, where his passion for teaching and writing flourished.

Lister’s efforts have extended far beyond her position with Community Futures. She’s served as a member of Vernon’s Economic Development Committee, of the Trades Industry Partnership Advisory Committee, the Provincial Regional Economic Development Initiative, the Vernon and District Community Land Trust, Vernon’s Affordable Housing Committee, and as chair of the volunteers committee of the 2011 Sparkling Hills Masters World Cup. In 1997, she was recognized by the Vernon Women in Business organization as the Woman of the Year. In 2009, she was named the Don McMillan Award Recipient for Provincial Community Economic Development work.