Gary Dickinson – Co-Board Chair
Dr. Gary Dickinson worked in B.C. secondary schools, colleges, and universities for 35 years until he retired in 2000. During the 1970s he was Associate Professor in the UBC Department of Adult Education and founding president of College of the Rockies. His last twenty working years were at Okanagan College and Okanagan University College where he served as South Okanagan Regional Director for five years, Dean of the Faculty of Adult and Continuing Education for fifteen years, and Vice-President, Academic during the two years prior to his retirement.
Gary and his wife Barbara raised six children and were foster parents for numerous children with special needs for twenty years. In retirement they enjoy walking with their three dogs, swimming, and outings in their trailer as well as playing Scrabble, double solitaire, and canasta. Gary was co-founder and president of the Society for Learning in Retirement and writes for several philatelic publications.
During the last five years Gary has chaired the Ministry and Personnel Committee and the governing board of St. Paul’s United Church, chaired the Amalgamation Steering Committee, and now co-chairs the COUC governing board.
Terry Welsh –
Co- Board Chair
Born and educated in Edmonton, Terry relocated to Winnipeg in 1976, working for 13 years in that city’s lively theatre community for 13 years before his 22-year tenure with the Government of Manitoba, where he held consecutive posts as Director of Arts & Culture and Executive Directors for Sport and for Tourism. He and his wife (also Terry!) moved to Kelowna in 2014. They have a son, daughter-in-law and grandson currently living in Hong Kong and a daughter, son–in-law and three grandsons back in Manitoba.
Michele Marentette – Treasurer
My wife Susanne & I moved to British Columbia from Montreal, after selling the Eastern Canada operations of my wine importing company.
We were both quite active in the IOCO United Church in Port Moody, eventually coming on the Board, Susanne as Secretary and myself as Chair.
After several years in Port Moody, we moved to Kelowna in 2018. We were attracted to First United, where I was soon approached to consider assuming the role of treasurer. With Amalgamation announced later, I again offered to assume the role of Treasurer for the first year of transition for our new Central Okanagan United Church.