Leadership Team

Kathy Kinloch is President of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), Canada’s premier polytechnic institution which serves approximately 50,000 students annually, a position she has held since January 2014. Her focus is broadening and deepening BCIT’s globally relevant connections with business, industry, and community within BC, across Canada, and globally to meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s employers and learners.

Kathy is recognized for leading strategic organizational renewal by empowering people in complex environments. Through a number of senior leadership and executive roles, she has spearheaded successful strategic change initiatives in the post-secondary as well as government and health care sectors.

Acknowledgements of Kathy’s accomplishments include Most Influential Women in Business, BC Business magazine; Influential Women in Business Awards, Business in Vancouver magazine; Woman of Distinction, YWCA Metro Vancouver; Top 100 Hall of Fame and Top 100 Public Sector Leaders, Women’s Executive Network (WXN); and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Royal Roads University. Most recently, Kathy was honoured as “Canada’s Most Admired CEO of 2018” and BCIT as one of “Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures for 2019” in the Broader Public Sector categories by Waterstone Human Capital.

Kathy holds a Diploma in Nursing and a Bachelor of Science (Nursing, with Distinction) from University of Alberta, a Master of Arts in Leadership (Chancellors Award), and a Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching from Royal Roads University.

Kathy’s board positions include the Business Council of BC, Surrey Hospital Foundation, the Public Policy Forum, and TELUS Corporation. She is also a member of the Business Higher Education Roundtable, the Asia Business Leaders Advisory Council of the Asia Pacific Foundation, and has recently chaired the Province’s Emerging Economy Task Force.

Dr. Tom Roemer is Vice-President, Academic at BCIT. He is responsible for providing academic vision at the Institute and leadership in the educational, international, Indigenous and applied research portfolios. Previously, he developed production control software and data solutions for corporate clients.

Tom holds a Master’s degree in astrophysics, a doctorate in Educational Leadership, and various professional certificates from the University of California. He has adjunct professor status at Simon Fraser University, and specializes in global technical-vocational education frameworks.

Lorcan O’Melinn was appointed Vice President, Administration, and CFO of BCIT in June 2009. He provides strategic direction and leadership to the Institute’s financial affairs. He is responsible for Corporate Services, Finance, Facilities and Campus Development, and Enterprise Risk Management.

Previously, Lorcan has been the secretary-treasurer and Chief Financial Officer for the Coquitlam School District, and served in several roles at Coquitlam’s Riverview Hospital, including Manager of Business Operations, and Vice President of Finance and Administration.

Before becoming a Certified General Accountant in 1991, Lorcan studied psychology, graduating with a BA from UBC. He later completed a Diploma of Technology in Administrative Management from BCIT.

In addition to his role with BCIT, Lorcan currently sits on two provincial committees for the Provincial Administrative Services Transformation Delivery Initiative, and is a Board member for the Great Northern Way Trust.

Since February 2014, Paul McCullough has held the position of Vice-President, Advancement, at BCIT, where he is a key member of the Institute’s senior leadership team. He is directly responsible for planning, implementing, and overseeing fundraising and alumni relations for more than 185,000 BCIT graduates.

Paul has been actively involved in business development for 20 years. He has extensive experience in donor relations, annual giving, volunteer management, institutional advancement, and community-based fundraising in both the non-profit and commercial sectors. Previously, Paul spent eight years as Director of Development at BCIT, where he led fundraising efforts for various campaigns, including fundraising for the Aerospace Technology Campus project and the Technology Enabled Knowledge initiative. Most recently, Paul was Vice President, Investor Development at LIFT Philanthropy Partners, the legacy organization of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Ana Lopez is a champion of transformational educational change. She specializes in human resources and labour relations, offering strategic leadership to a diverse portfolio of human resource functions. Prior to joining BCIT, Ana served as VP Human Resources at Translink, and Director of HR Services at the Coast Mountain Bus Company.

Her portfolio includes corporate labour relations, organizational development, change management, leadership and employee development, succession planning, workforce planning, employee engagement, employee relations, compensation, corporate wellness, and payroll, benefits and pension administration, safety and security, privacy and freedom of information policy.

As Vice President, Students, Lisa Collins provides leadership and strategic direction for a wide range of student services, including the Registrar’s Office and Program Advising, Financial Aid, Student Housing, Health and Accessibility Services, Counselling, Student Life Office and Recreation, Student Judicial Affairs, Workplace Education, and Testing Centres. Lisa is also responsible for the Enrolment Planning and Institutional Research offices.

Lisa is a collaborative champion, bolstering student success in the classroom—and beyond—by offering best-in-class student services and supports, and ensuring BCIT’s programming meets both student needs and expectations. She also plays a significant role in the development of the Institute, leading initiatives in student-centred services and programs that enhance BCIT’s enrolment, retention, and overall student success.

Prior to BCIT, Lisa was the Vice-Provost and University Registrar at the University of Alberta. She has 18 years of experience in academic administration from the University of British Columbia.

Lara Johnson is a seasoned marketing strategist with over 15 years’ experience in a wide array of industries. Currently the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at BCIT, Lara recently led the development and stakeholder engagement strategy for the Institute’s new Strategic Plan. Lara also led the development of a new brand positioning and creative identity for BCIT.

Previously, Lara was the VP of Advertising at Shaw Communications, and also spent close to a decade helping to build one of Canada’s most iconic corporate brands, TELUS. Earlier in her career, while with Cossette, Lara partnered with brands such as McDonald’s and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, helping to launch their brand platforms and mass-advertising campaigns. Lara has an MBA from SFU, and a BA from Ohio State University.

Roy Hart joined BCIT in February 2018, after spending over 25 years in enterprise IT, strategy, and leadership across multiple sectors, including education, health, social services, justice, transportation, and infrastructure. Roy is an active member of the Canadian CIO community and, among other committees, serves on the BCNET board.

Roy’s career highlights include leading an extensive business transformation and technology modernization program as CIO of Seneca College, designing a comprehensive security and support program for the Ontario Judiciary, numerous technology infrastructure projects, and leading an account team responsible for over $100M in IT infrastructure projects for the Ontario Government central IT organization.

Cynthia Petrie is the Executive Director of Stakeholder Relations.

James Rout has 20 years of leadership experience in higher education, including teaching and learning centres, libraries, archives, IT services, and educational technology support services. James is a PhD Candidate in Educational Technology and Learning Design at Simon Fraser University, and is a strong advocate for open education and self-directed learning. His doctoral research is in the use of virtual simulation and educational technology to support learning and teaching.

Lisa Chu has more than 20 years’ experience in academic and healthcare leadership, including a decade with the Fraser Health Authority in various roles including Director, Clinical Programs, Older Adult Programs; and Director, Site Operations, Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre. She joined BCIT in 2015 as Associate Dean, Laboratory and Allied Health, where she was responsible for strategic, operational and educational leadership to a number of key programs including Medical Laboratory Science, Clinical Genetics Technology, and Environmental Health Technology.

Lisa holds an MBA (Executive) from SFU, a Bachelor of Home Economics (Dietetics and Nutrition) from UBC, and a Certificate in Health Care Management from BCIT.

Known as a strategic, collaborative and visionary leader, Lisa is passionate and experienced in leading transformational change. Accomplished in engaging diverse stakeholders to achieve common goals, Lisa has a strong track record of creating high-performing teams and building trusting relationships.

Dr. Leelah Dawson is the Dean of the School of Business.

Dr. Kim Dotto received his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of British Columbia. He has more than 40 years of experience in Software/Hardware Research and Development, Engineering and IT, in both the private and academic sectors.

Kim is experienced in designing, producing and managing a wide range of technologies across multiple industries, including Energy Transmission, Biomedical Engineering, Software, Embedded and Real-time Systems Design and Computer Graphics and Game Design. Accomplished in taking startup technologies, products and companies to successful commercialization, Kim has worked closely with both private and government organizations to fund major research and product development projects both locally and internationally.

As Dean for the School of Transportation at BCIT, Guy Ellis oversees the school’s six divisions: Aerospace, Automotive, Heavy Equipment and Railway, and Marine.

Guy’s previous positions in post-secondary education include Dean, Trades and Applied Technology at Vancouver Island University and Associate Dean, Mechanical Trades at BCIT’s School of Energy. He has 15 years of experience in the education sector, and 20 years of prior industry experience in the manufacturing and construction sectors. His roles in industry have included Plant Manager, Crown Packaging; Director of Manufacturing at Wexxar Packaging Equipment Ltd; and Principal for a residential construction firm.

Guy has a Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University and a Diploma of Technology in Operations Management from BCIT. For the last five years, he has also held the post of President of the BC Association of Trades and Technical Administrators (BCATTA).

Dr. Lawrence Gu graduated from McGill University with a PhD in Civil Engineering and a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. After graduating, he worked as a Nuclear Engineer in Ontario Hydro for five years, before joining BCIT as a faculty member in 1994. In 2005, Dr. Gu was hired to direct the International Business Services department where he currently holds the position of Dean, BCIT International. He is responsible for the internationalization of BCIT—this includes organizing partnerships with universities in other countries, recruiting international students, and managing the services that support those students once they arrive.

In addition to his role as Dean, Dr. Gu is the Chief Operating Officer of a BCIT wholly owned subsidiary, Technology Training Associates Ltd. (TTA). TTA has delivered a total of more than $35 million projects funded by the Canadian International Development Agency, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, as well as governments and organizations in countries including China, Philippines, Vietnam, Brazil, and South Korea.

Under Wayne Hand’s direction, the School of Construction and the Environment has developed significant research programs and built the capacity of the Architectural Ecology and Building Science programs. He has been successful applying and executing various industry and government grants—in particular, the first-ever BCIT Canada Research Chair appointment. Wayne has spearheaded development of many new credentials, including the Carpentry Framing and Forming Foundation program, Interior Design Diploma and Degree, Architectural Science Degree, two Master’s degrees in Building Science, and numerous part-time studies certificates.

Wayne is a Registered Professional Engineer with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province of BC. He holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Civil Engineering from the University of Alberta and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Calgary.

Dr. Dean Hildebrand received his BSc and PhD from the University of British Columbia’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He has worked in academia since 1997, joining BCIT in 2000 as a faculty member in the Forensic Science and Technology program. In that capacity, he helped build the largest forensics program of its kind in Canada.

Dean is a recognized forensic DNA expert with a passion for using cutting-edge technologies for humanitarian efforts. For the last 10 years he has worked with the BC Coroners Service (Special Investigations Unit) as a subject matter expert to develop and now maintain the unidentified remains and missing person DNA database for the province of BC.

Dean has had a 20-year career serving the BCIT community. He has progressed as an academic leader with ever more challenging and diverse portfolios that have spanned science and computing departments.

After completing his PhD at the University of California, Irvine, Forrest Tittle moved to Edmonton to complete a postdoc at the University of Alberta. Following his research, he moved on to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), where he taught in several programs for more than 20 years. Over the course of his tenure at NAIT, Forrest became Dean of the School of Sustainable Building and Environmental Management, and later Dean of the School of Applied Sciences and Technology.

In October 2016, Forrest became Dean of the School of Energy at BCIT. As Dean, he is responsible for the academic and financial oversight of all programs within the school. Alongside the school’s leadership team, Forrest develops initiatives that align with BCIT’s strategic plan. In particular, he is a passionate supporter of activities that champion student success and faculty engagement.

Kathy Roberts is the Director of Financial Services.

Mark Dale leads the Department of Facilities and Campus Development on behalf of BCIT. As such, he directs the activities of three divisions: Facilities Services, Project Services, and Campus Development. Together these divisions provide planning, construction, maintenance and operations services required to manage facilities across BCIT’s five campuses.​

Mark has a professional background in both private and public sectors as a registered architect in Canada and the UK. His education includes an undergraduate degree from the University of Manitoba, and a graduate degree from the Architectural Association in London, England.

Jackie Jacob joined BCIT in January 2015 as the Executive Director of the Foundation. With over 15 years’ experience in the non-profit and fundraising sectors, she is a respected, strategic and highly motivated leader who demonstrates success in building and guiding high functioning teams to deliver on bold, comprehensive goals.

Before joining the BCIT Foundation, Jackie was with Peace Arch Hospital Foundation for more than 10 years as their Executive Director. During her tenure, Jackie’s leadership resulted in significant growth of the Foundation including the successful completion of a $24 million “Partners in Caring” campaign that delivered multiple priority projects to the community.

A proud BCIT Alumna, Jackie is a graduate of the Business Administration, Hospitality and Tourism Program. In 2016, Jackie was awarded BCIT’s Employee Excellence Award in recognition of her significant contributions and commitments to BCIT students and the broader community.

As Director, Corporate Services, Vince Laxton provides overall strategic direction for a wide scope of areas, that include Food Services, External Events, Downtown Campus Administration, Retail Operations/Bookstore, Imaging,  Purchasing, Logistics, Contracts/Legal, Insurance and Commercial Leasing. He is committed to people development and collaborative innovation. Prior to BCIT, he held various leadership roles at Imperial Oil, Fraser Health and Vancouver School Board.

Vince is a proud to be a BCIT alumnus (Financial Management Diploma) and Part-Time Studies instructor in the BBA program.