Exchange opportunities shaped career

trevor.kenney — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:27:52 +0000

Trevor Clark has roots deep in the soil of small-town Alberta but his life and career have extended branches across the globe. The well-travelled U of L alumnus earned a bachelor of management degree in 1999 and, from the moment he signed on for his first overseas exchange, knew that this experience would determine the scope of all future growth.

The decision to enroll in the international management program was one that Clark says he made quickly and easily, based on the nature of the program itself and on the opportunities to work and study abroad.

"I've always wanted that. I had that inquisitive mind that I wanted to know about different countries and

Trevor Clark took full advantage of the U of L's international management program.

different cultures and the way people did think . . . there was a mysteriousness that I wanted to discover about the world and once you find it you kind of fall in love with that lifestyle."

After his initial placement in Taiwan, Clark continued to seek global employment opportunities in such far-flung places as China, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Serbia and Kosovo. He is currently posted in the South American nation of Guyana as Peace and Development Advisor and Project Manager for the UN Development Program.

"I lead a $7M USD project implementing interventions and activities that hope to build stronger social cohesion amongst the people of Guyana, which has been divided along ethnicity and dealing with other post-colonial issues."

The path Clark travelled to the prestigious position he now holds had rather humble beginnings.

"How I got here was just a lot of low-paid and no-paid internships over an extended period of time. I decided to move into the human development field and get a master's degree in international conflict analysis; eventually getting more in the field of conflict mediation and peace building."

Aside from satisfying an insatiable wanderlust, Clark's work allows him to be involved in projects that have a demonstrable, transformative effect on the people and communities they serve.

"Right now, one of the most important things I do is to impact positively on the people that really need the help with interventions that we're doing. When you see the look in their eyes and the smile on their faces and the change in their confidence, knowing that you've actually helped them is a pretty important thing."

Clark emphasizes the importance of social responsibility in the development of a society and in ensuring fair and equitable access to resources.

"In the work I do, corporate social responsibility plays a fairly prominent role. When you're talking about human development, it involves the private sector and the corporate sector. You need to lean on them because they're the ones that provide the jobs and a future for the people. That's where you see the private sector really playing a role in developing the country.

"They have a responsibility to contribute to the betterment of people's lives in the country. The benefit of corporations acting socially responsible can have more impact than any international organization."

Clark says he intends to continue in the field of conflict prevention and conflict transformation, but is open to whatever opportunities may arise.

"I tend not to look too much into the future, but take a day-by-day approach and see where things take me. If I looked too much into the future, it wouldn't allow me to accomplish too much!"

To learn more about the Faculty of Management at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, follow this link.

In good hands with O'Keeffe

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:27:58 +0000

For many of us, the only interaction we have with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge security force is on the wrong end of a parking violation, when in fact Security and Parking is so much more. For John O'Keeffe, who has seen action in some of the world's most troubled regions, the ability to handle this political landmine comes from experience with the real thing.

"It's too bad that a lot of the good things we do get forgotten when we hand out a parking citation," O'Keeffe, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's new director of Security and Parking, says with a laugh.
"I would like to keep reminding people we are a community-based service, that's my big goal, for us not to be seen as just a parking service."

O'Keeffe comes to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ fresh out of the British military, where he served for 23 years. Stationed at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Suffield the last four years, he retired from active service to seek a permanent home in Canada.

He assumes the role left by Randy Joseph, and while heading up a military police detachment might not seem parallel to running a university security office, O'Keeffe says the two organizations are strikingly similar.

"There are many parts of this job and the university life that are very similar to military life," he explains. "Here, we are in a hierarchical structure with someone at the top who is the boss and there are different organizations below, all with their own responsibilities. The military is very much the same.
"Our deans and professors are in the officer ranks and the others are almost like the soldiers, working in the background making things happen."

A non-commissioned soldier, O'Keeffe joined the military as a 16-year old for what he expected would be a three-year term. It turned into a career that took him to every continent on the planet but Antarctica. His tours included highlight postings in Hong Kong, Kenya and Australia, as well as numerous stops in Europe. He also served on United Nations forces in locales such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo and Northern Ireland, eventually retiring on pre-selection to the position of Regimental Sergeant Major, the highest rank for a non-commissioned soldier.

"I've seen my fair share of good and bad," he says.

Reviewing the campus emergency response plan is a key priority for O'Keeffe, but just learning the unique terminology of the job, as well as introducing himself to the many units on campus has dominated his time.

"I still have to establish myself within the organization and get people to understand how I work," he says. "The biggest thing I've got to do is convince people that I'm not Randy and we have our different workings. We both strive toward the end result but we're going to probably do it different ways."

He admits his interview for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ posting was the first of his life and was not exactly sure how it should be approached. Walking away he felt good, and not just about his performance.

"I remember thinking it would be upsetting if I didn't get the job but more than anything, I'd be really disappointed if I didn't get to work with the people I'd met," he says.

GET THE FACTS

• O'Keeffe's wife Amanda is a paralegal and they own a two-year old German shepherd, Ben.

• He has been commuting to the U of L daily from Medicine Hat.

• O'Keeffe was born in Sheffield, a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Sheffield gained its reputation for its steel production in the 19th century.

• Stationed at CFB Suffield, O'Keeffe's military police looked over a base considered the largest in the Commonwealth at 2,962 square kilometers.

• O'Keeffe on staying in Canada upon retiring from the military, "If I was to tie it up into one thing it would be the quality of life. I think everybody has opportunity within Canada and that's the biggest plus for me."

UNews - Kosovo

Exchange opportunities shaped career

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