Instructor Bios
Alana Abramson
Dr. Alana Abramson is an educator in the Criminology department at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She earned her M.A. and PH.D from Simon Fraser University and believes education can inspire personal and social change. Alana has examined the roles that police and community play in restorative justice. She also has explored the role of post secondary education in advancing the theory and practices of restorative justice in community and social institutions. Alana lives in Tk'emlups te Secwepemc territory. She loves vegan food, yoga, hiking, being in nature, her cats and travelling.
Mike Baker
Mike is a retired engineer and has worked in several different countries including Kenya, Turkey and Sri Lanka. He has lived in Kamloops for almost 25 years. Travel is an important part of his retirement and Mike and his wife, Mary, continue to enjoy independent travel, getting to know the destination and the people as much as possible. You may also know Mike as the Treasurer for KALS, a role he has filled since 2022.
Lyn Baldwin
Lyn is an award -winning teacher and plant conservation biologist, who teaches Botany at TRU. She works to cultivate care between the people and plants of place by sharing stories in her illustrated field journals, in art galleries, journals and science museums.
Bruce Baugh
Bruce Baugh taught philosophy at Thompson Rivers University for 28 years. He has authored two books and one translation, as well as numerous articles in scholarly journals. Bruce’s main interests are rock music, blues, walking and Continental philosophy.
Andrée Beauchemin
Andrée Beauchemin has been working at the Kamloops Library since 1992. She began working at the library while attending University where she double majored in English and Psychology. During these studies, she realized that her interest in literature and people was perfectly represented in the public library setting. She continued her studies in library science, and worked in many areas of the library. She particularly enjoyed working as the Readers’ Advisor managing the fiction collection at the Kamloops branch. Andrée currently works as a Library Assistant at the Kamloops branch. This role includes children’s programming, adult programming, teaching use of Technology as well as reference work.
Shari Caputo
Shari Caputo is a faculty member with the School of Nursing at Thompson Rivers University (TRU). She began her profession as an RN in 2001 and spent 15 years at Royal Inland Hospital working primarily in medicine and obstetrics. Subsequently, she started full time at TRU in 2016 and her areas of teaching expertise include clinical practice in medicine and obstetrics, pathophysiology, simulation-based psychomotor skills theory and lab practice, global health and field school in Nepal.
Paul Clark
Born in Oliver, BC, Paul grew up in Tsawwassen. He has worked both domestically and internationally. Domestically, his commercial experience includes working as a Sales Representative in the non-profit industry, and his own entrepreneurial activities. Internationally, he lived in Asia for over a decade, working in Greater China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Shanghai. While living in Asia, he worked in both large multi-national companies and smaller entrepreneurial start-up ventures. Paul Clark received a B.A. in Military History from the University of Victoria, Diploma in Business Administration from B.C.I.T. and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario. In 2014 he earned his Doctorate in Business Administration (D.B.A.) from the Swiss Management Centre. At Thompson Rivers University, he has been a faculty member in the School of Business and Economics, since 2007. At TRU, he has delivered courses in marketing, international business, and organizational strategy.
Helen Coombs
Helen Coombs is a P. Eng. with over 10 years experience in mineral processing. She started out working in operations, primarily at Mt Isa Mines. She then joined the Xstrata Copper project development team, managing testing programs and plant design aspects of greenfield projects. Since then she's worked in laboratories, managing projects that evaluate mineralization, develop flowsheets, estimate expected metallurgical performance and assess operating efficiency. Helen graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Mineral Process Engineering (honors). In her spare time, Helen enjoys hiking and camping, and playing music.
Tom Dickinson
Tom Dickinson is a retired Dean of Sciences at TRU and a long time KALS presenter. His classes focus on the flora, fauna, and natural history of our region.
Ken Favrholdt
Kenneth Favrholdt is an historical geographer who has written extensively about Kamloops and area, and the fur trade in British Columbia. His M.A. thesis focuses on the commonly known brigade trails of the Pacific Northwest. Ken has been manager of several museums in BC and Alberta.
John Felvinci
John Felvinci was born in Hungary and came to Canada after the 1956 revolution. He studied at McGill and earned a doctoral degree in nuclear physics. In 1965, John left for the US to teach and do research at Columbia in New York. During his research, he branched out to computers and later worked in industry, installing radiation monitoring and security systems at nuclear power plants. In 1990, John returned to Montreal and worked in telecommunications. After he retired in 1994, he joined MCLL (McGill Community of Lifelong Learning), where he has been active in moderating study groups, and giving lectures and helping with administration.
Cristhina Florez
Cristhina was born in the Andes of Colombia. She became a biologist driven by her love for nature. She began her career studying primate habitats and working with communities on conservation. Later she focused on environmental impact assessments in industrial areas. After studying across Latin America, she is now in Canada at TRU, leading a project on forest conservation, climate action and community engagement.
Kristen Gardner
Kristen Gardner is the interim Education and Public Programs Director for the Kamloops Art Gallery. Prior to this role, she served as the School and Youth Programs Coordinator for over three years. Kristen holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from TRU (2022) and a Diploma in Digital Art and New Media from Selkirk College (2017). Passionate about arts education, she believes in the power of art to build meaningful connections and create transformative spaces for learning and engagement.
James Gordon
James has been working at the Sustainability Office at Thompson Rivers University since 2013, initially coordinating research and the zero waste program, and over the last four years as the Manager of Sustainability Programs and now as the Sustainability Director. After completing his Bachelor's Degree, he decided to devote his career to working in the sustainability realm and trying to make a difference to protect the earth's natural ecosystems for future generations. He went on to earn a Master's Degree in Environmental Education and Communications from Royal Roads University (2011). James' efforts in the community have ranged from organizing Kamloops' Bike to Work Week to waste audits for several Kamloops businesses.
Braden Hallett
Braden Hallett is a writer and illustrator. He enjoys drawing, writing, playing pen and paper roleplaying games, and non-alcoholic hoppy malted barley-based beverages. He used to be a teacher, but much prefers drawing and writing things.
Jill Harvey
Dr. Harvey investigates wildfire and drought as processes driving ecosystem change to help inform forest and fire management practices and enhance resilience in Canada's forests.
Katie Hutchins
Katie Hutchins is the Community & Volunteer Engagement Manager at the Mustard Seed in Kamloops. Katie has been with the Mustard Seed for 5 years in a variety of roles. Prior to working at the Mustard Seed, she volunteered with a variety of organizations in Southern Ontario.
Janice Joneja
Dr. Janice Joneja holds a PhD in medical microbiology (virology and bacteriology) and immunology. She has held faculty positions at several universities, including the University of British Columbia, and has taught at universities and colleges throughout Canada, the U.S.A., the U.K., and other English-speaking countries. For 13 years she was head of the Allergy Nutrition Clinic at the Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre in British Columbia. Dr. Joneja is the author of ten books and practice manuals on immunology and food allergy, several distance education courses, and instructional videos. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals, as well as in popular magazines. She is an internationally recognised expert in the immunology of allergy and has regularly appeared on television and radio call-in shows.
Craig Jones
Craig E Jones K.C., BGS, LL.B., LLM is a professor of constitutional law at Thompson Rivers University. Raised in Vernon, he obtained law degrees from UBC and Harvard, working for two decades in Vancouver and Victoria before returning to the Interior. He is the author of three books and over 100 articles on topics as diverse as mass tort law and guitar building. Professor Jones is currently on sabbatical from his university position, and since 2022 has served as General Counsel to the Premier of British Columbia. He lives in Barnhartvale with his wife Amanda, their children, and an eclectic assortment of animals.
Janice MacDonald
Janice MacDonald is a retired Oncology Nurse who spent years supporting patients through their cancer journeys. In her volunteer work with the Kamloops Cancer Supportive Care Society and Inspire Health, she has seen firsthand the power of holistic, supportive care, healthy habits, and the meaningful connections between Blue Zone living and coping with cancer.
Alison MacLean
Alison is a combat videographer, who through her company, Tomboy Digital Productions, has created several thought-provoking feature videos: “Op Faust: Hunger Winter '45"", “Burkas2Bullets”, (winner of 5 international film festival awards), “Chinatown Then and Now” and “Kandahar”. Earlier in her career, Alison was a camera person and covered live news hits, studio interviews, Olympic events, World Series, and numerous World Cup competitions in a variety of sports.
Rev. Andrew Macpherson
Traveller with Curiosity into Religious Pluralism. Andrew graduated from Emmanuel College, University of Toronto in the M.Div., MPS in Muslim Studies Program and Buddhist Studies Mindfulness Meditation Program (Trinity Program). He enjoys experiences of the divine through music and food. Andrew currently serves as the Community Life Minister at Kamloops United Church and enjoys preaching and pastoral visitation. He loves jazz vespers, and his favourite instrument to play is the radio. Raised in two very different cultures, Andrew’s curiosity was nurtured by his parents’ encouragement to study and live his life fully.
Macarena Mantilla
Macarena Mantilla moved from Ecuador to pursue her degree in journalism at Thompson Rivers University. She seeks to amplify the stories of people in the Tk’emlúps (Kamloops) territory and currently works at the Wren News, an independent local news outlet. Growing up in Quito, Ecuador taught her about different cultures and helped her obtain a rounded knowledge. She is interested in reporting on social issues, mental health and human rights. She has covered stories that focus on minorities in the community.
Bruce Martin
Bruce Martin is a Professor of Human Enterprise and Innovation at TRU where his teaching and research focus on entrepreneurship and innovation for social good. In 2018, Bruce and his colleagues created the Innovation for Social Good cluster, a collaboration that studies how to create, scale and sustain social enterprises in Interior B.C. His latest research examines how social enterprises succeed and fail when attempting to scale up globally. He has experience creating, managing and leading nonprofit government and academic organizations. Bruce spent 17 years living and working in Asia and Europe.
Diane McKelvey
Diane is a semi-retired veterinarian, a keen traveler, and an avid outdoor enthusiast.
Dave McKinnon
Dr. McKinnon holds B.Sc. (Hons.) (1960) and Ph.D. (1963) degrees in Chemistry from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. From 1965-2001, he was a faculty member in the Chemistry Department at the University of Manitoba. He maintained an active research program and authored or coauthored 74 refereed papers, two reviews and three book chapters, and presented papers at international conferences. He has taught courses, mainly Organic Chemistry, at all university levels and received the Stanton Teaching Award from the University of Manitoba in 1995. He has a continuing interest in scientific education and a wide range of hobbies, including travel, playing the clarinet, woodworking and genealogy.
Rod Michell
Rod holds a Master’s degree in English literature from Oxford University. Now retired, Rod taught for 38 years at TRU, and prior to that, several years at Selkirk and UBC. Rod has been teaching for KALS for 18 years and taught at least one and often two courses in every semester.
Thelma Muronzi
Thelma Muronzi is a Cybersecurity Awareness Advisor at BC Hydro and a highly-skilled professional with a strong background in both business and technology. She is the founder of Cyber LifeHax (CLH) cyber hygiene initiative with the goal of driving cybersecurity awareness particularly for seniors. Thelma was awarded the National Impact Awards Social Changemaker at KPMG Canada for 2023 for her community initiatives and contributions. With her diverse education and experience, Thelma is well equipped to provide expertise, advice and guidance in the areas of risk management and information security awareness.
Bala Nikku
Bala Nikku, PhD, a racialized social work teacher, scholar, and practitioner, came to Canada in 2018. He is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at TRU. Before coming to Canada, Dr. Nikku taught social work at universities in Nepal, India, and Malaysia. He teaches and researches international social work, disaster resilient futures, climate justice, immigrant rights, and social work practice innovations.
Ray Pillar
Ray Pillar is a retired Thompson Rivers University administrator and Political Science instructor and former teacher assistant at the University of Victoria and York University. He continues to be a political commentator and a keen follower of Canadian and international politics. In addition to teaching KALs classes I. Various political science topics including China and Public policy. Ray has facilitated the news and views class for 15 years and, he has received KALS volunteer award for dedicated service.
Ginny Ratsoy
Ginny Ratsoy, TRU Professor Emerita and longtime KALS instructor, has published scholarly articles on Canadian plays, and has edited and co-edited theatre anthologies. She also has written program notes for Western Canadian Theatre for several decades.
Mike Ritcey
Mike Ritcey has volunteered with SRD K9's of BC for many years. His dog, Ranger, has been involved in a large number of searches and is still going strong. They are both kept busy assisting with up to 80 searches per year. Ranger is validated by the RCMP for Wilderness Search and is also validated for Narcotics for the private security industry.
Terri Runnalls
Terri Runnalls has been Education and Outreach Director at Western Canada Theatre for many years. She has also been an actor for WCT and other companies.
Julie Simmons
Julie has a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Education degree from Memorial University in Newfoundland. Her passions in life (besides her husband Rodney) include musical theatre, Disney and Christmas. Since 2017, she has been host of the CFBX radio show, On the Marquee, which has been syndicated across Canada. Julie published her first novel, "That’s How You Know," in 2023
Shannon Smyrl
Shannon Smyrl is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Communication and Visual Arts at TRU. She is very curious about how, as communities, we can rethink how we connect online in the interests of the public good.
Bruce Thomson
Bruce is a retired instructor from TRU. He has an entrenched case of wanderlust and loves to travel both on and off the beaten path, but prefers off that path. He has been fortunate in his life to have travelled to visit, or to work in, many countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Bruce has shared his travel adventures in several KALS classes.
Gord Stewart and Connor Tremblay
Gord Stewart is the Executive Director of the BIG Little Science Centre and teaches some of the classes there. Gord has been tinkering with 3D printing and 3D modelling for many years. Connor Tremblay teaches at the BIG Little Science Centre. He also has been tinkering with 3D printing and 3D modelling for many years.
Kevin Van Damme
Kevin has been a BC Conservation Officer for over 30 years. He leads the Wildlife Conflict instructor team which delivers training in predator response, K-9 predator tracking, and the Predator Attack Team which responds to animal attacks on people. He has testified as an expert in numerous cases and taught other professional groups across Canada and the US.
Nancy Van Wagoner
Nancy is a professor of geology at TRU and an accomplished artist. She has led a number of KALS geology field trips and classes, as well as providing a guided tour through an exhibition of her art.
Tori Verkaik
Tori Verkaik is a Registered Professional Forester and Forest Stewardship Specialist with the Ministry of Forests. She holds a bachelor’s degree from UBC and a master’s in Disaster and Emergency Management from Royal Roads University, with a focus on community-driven wildfire recovery. Tori previously worked as a Restoration Forester with Skeetchestn Natural Resources, where she led post-wildfire recovery projects, including a culturally significant planting program in the Elephant Hill Fire zone and a multi-disciplinary watershed rehabilitation effort following the 2021 Sparks Lake Fire. She also co-developed the innovative Morel Mushroom Program in partnership with the Skeetchestn Indian Band. Her work reflects a deep commitment to ecological restoration, Indigenous collaboration, and innovative disaster recovery strategies.
Ryan Watson
Ryan Watson is the Museum Interpreter at the Secwepemc Museum & Heritage Park. The tour may be led by another guide from the Secwepemc Museum Heritage Park.