Barry Lapointe
Barry Lapointe is an accomplished leader in the Canadian aviation industry as well as the founder and chairman of KF Aerospace, Canada’s largest commercial aircraft maintenance provider and the largest private employer in the Okanagan. Since establishing KF Aerospace in Kelowna in 1970, he has also been a dedicated philanthropist and community servant, lending vital support to health care and education, including serving as a member of the UBC Board of Governors. The Barry Lapointe Foundation, founded in 2003, has contributed to numerous causes, including the United Way, the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the KGH Foundation.
Nancy McKenzie
Nancy McKenzie is an accomplished, collaborative and visionary leader in both public and private sectors. Her numerous volunteer leadership positions have included service to UBC as a director of UBC Investment Management, The UBC Foundation, and as a member and chair of the Board of Governors. She is equally distinguished in the BC business community as a Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant. As CFO of Seaspan ULC, a global leader in marine services and shipbuilding, she oversaw complex financial and strategic initiatives, including securing a multi-billion-dollar non-combat shipbuilding program for British Columbia.
Hon. Justice Malcolm Rowe
Justice Malcolm Rowe has a long and diverse record of distinguished achievement in law, public service, and academia. His 25 years of judicial experience includes his current role as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Since his appointment to that court in 2016 he has written more than 100 judgements, as well as numerous influential academic papers that provide historically informed theoretical frameworks for addressing some the most complex and contested legal questions facing Canadian courts, government and citizens today.
Wilbur Turner
A trailblazing advocate in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, Wilbur Turner’s 30 years of leadership and activism have profoundly impacted inclusivity and equity both locally and nationally. He is the founder and chair of Advocacy Canada, and the visionary behind You Belong, a national campaign that promotes inclusivity through Indigenous art and language. As president of the Kelowna Pride Society, he transformed the Kelowna Pride Festival into an annual signature event. He also represents the 2SLGBTQIA+ sector as a member of the Community Advisory Board on Homelessness, an initiative aimed at reducing homelessness across Canada.
UBC Vancouver Congregation Honorary Degree Recipients
For a list of this year’s recipients, click here.