PEMAC Member Spotlight

Nicolle Guillen, Education Manager at PEMAC, interviewed Mimi Miller, Asset Management Analyst at the Regional District of Central Okanagan. They discussed Mimi's role at RDCO and her experience in PEMAC's Asset Management Professional Program (AMP). Mimi participated in the inaugural offering of the program, which was delivered in collaboration with Northern Lakes College and supported by FCM MAMP funding from 2018 to 2020.

Over 120 municipal practitioners from across Canada joined Mimi in expanding their asset management knowledge during this cohort program. The special delivery has been offered three times, with over 400 municipal practitioners participating in one of the offerings.

Nicolle asked Mimi about her learning journey and the impact of the program on her role and organization.

NG: Please describe your municipality.

MM: The Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO is located on the unceded territory of the Sylix/ Okanagan people. This area is within the picturesque Okanagan Valley in British Columbia's Southern Interior.

The region is diverse, including thriving urban centres and vibrant rural communities between orchards, vineyards, and agricultural lands. The RDCO covers over 314,000 hectares adjacent to the shoreline of Okanagan Lake. Over 222,000 people call the region home, making it the fourthlargest urban area in the Province of B.C.

The RDCO as a form of local government unique to B.C. The Regional District provides services such as recreation, community park facilities, fire protection and garbage collection to homes and businesses within two electoral areas:

Central Okanagan East and Central Okanagan West.

The RDCO is also responsible for a wide range of regional services such as 9-1-1, dog control, parks, and waste reduction for the electoral areas and the member municipalities. In addition, the organization provides wastewater treatment services for the City of West Kelowna, District of Peachland, and Westbank First Nation.

NG: What is your role within the municipality?

MM: As the Asset Management Analyst includes a wide variety of tasks, such as:

 Organization-wide asset management capacity building,

 supporting asset lifecycle activities,

 management of the District's Fleet,

 supporting responsible financial management,

 risk management, and

 working towards Strategic Plan objectives.

NG: Why did you enroll in the AMP Program?

MM: The education offered by the AMP appealed to me because the program's delivery and content are based on imparting holistic asset management knowledge. The program provides hands-on experience in strategic planning, financial planning, organizational capacity building, risk management, and asset lifecycle planning.