He was born and raised in Rossland, British Columbia but has spent most of his career in the United States.
He specializes in public administration, human resource management, and aboriginal government.
Prior to beginning his academic career, he spent ten years working for housing corporations in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
From 2006-07-01 to early June 2008 he was President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Northern British Columbia.
His resignation occurred amidst deep controversy over changes to the university budget and staffing.