Flags have been lowered and this notice is shared in memory of Norm Embree, former OC Board Chair and Honorary Fellow, who passed away recently.
Embree spent a lifetime working as an entrepreneur and devoted decades to public service, most notably as the former Chair of the Interior Health Authority Board of Directors (2007-14) and as Chair of the Board of Governors as Okanagan College transitioned from Okanagan University College (OUC) in 2004-05 and served until 2007.
Embree was named an Honorary Fellow of the College in 2015 and addressed graduates at Spring Convocation that year; he encouraged them to use their education to change the world for the better and to move forward confidently in their new stage of life.
“While I didn’t have the honour of meeting Norm Embree, I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the significant positive impact he made at Okanagan College. His dedicatation as a member of the Board of Governors is well known and appreciated by so many across the OC community. On behalf of our learning community, I extend our deepest sympathies to his family, as well as our gratitude for the way in which he embodied being an Honorary Fellow of the College – as demonstrated by his deep commitment to community and giving back,” said Okanagan College President Dr. Neil Fassina.
Embree’s career began in securities and he eventually joined his family’s machining business, Embree Industries Ltd. of Hamilton, ON, which was founded by his grandfather in 1913. At just 34 years of age, he bought the company from his father and became President and CEO. Embree would grow the company to become a manufacturing and distribution business with more than 90 employees and several million dollars in annual consolidated sales.
A graduate of the University of Western Ontario with a degree in economics, Embree went on to work for the Business Development Bank of Canada. He also formed his own management consulting company, Presidents Network Inc.
Embree moved to Salmon Arm in the late 90s and became deeply involved in a number of not-for-profit organizations. He served as a Board member of the Salmon Arm Economic Development Advisory Committee, OUC, Haney Heritage House, Shuswap Hospice Society, Nature Trust of BC, and the College of Pharmacists of BC. He was a driving force behind the fundraising efforts of the Shuswap Hospice Society, the BC Liberals, the Shuswap Centre for the Neskonlith First Nation and the Rotary Club of Salmon Arm.
Embree’s dedication to students at the College could also be seen in his generosity as a donor. He contributed to the OC Board of Governors Endowment and supported the OC Foundation’s annual golf tournament for many years.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date.
You can read Embree’s obituary and leave condolences for his family on this page.