Our Team

As Executive Director, Larry provides leadership for Extended Learning’s (ExL) strategy, planning and budgeting. He ensures ExL’s operations, processes, policies and technologies are aligned with its vision, and support learners’ lifelong educational needs. Larry liaises with a broad range of faculties and units to advance outstanding career and personal education opportunities, with a mandate to help strengthen UBC’s contributions to the wellbeing of members of our local and global communities.

Before joining ExL, Larry spent 23 years in software development, educational technology and online learning leadership roles at Harvard, where he continues to teach computer science. Most recently, he was Senior Director of Digital Learning Initiatives at Brown University, and a founder of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies at New England Institute of Technology. His own early career experiences and a Harvard Extension School certificate program sparked a lifelong interest in the transformational effects of continuing education for adult learners.

Don provides leadership for UBC Extended Learning’s (ExL) non-credit personal education programs that meet the needs of learners, from high school students to seniors. Don is a member of the ExL Management Team, and connects with faculties and units across campus. He collaborates with professors, instructors and graduate students to provide our communities access to UBC academic, teaching and research excellence. Before joining UBC, Don spent much of his career in open and lifelong learning. He honed his teaching, research, strategic planning, marketing, and program development skills with organizations like the Open Learning Agency, The Laurier Institution and VANOC.

Denise leads UBC Extended Learning’s (ExL) digital transformation project that supports broad access to UBC’s non-credit courses and offerings. With more than 20 years’ experience in strategic planning, program development and quality assurance, Denise also facilitates strategic projects and planning for ExL that encompass workforce development, provincial and university relations, and advisory board development. 

A member of the Society for College and University Planning, and Vice-Chair for Professional Development of the University Professional and Continuing Education Association, Denise looks to disruptors in higher education for innovative ideas and lessons she can apply to continuing education and lifelong learning. She’s passionate about amplifying UBC excellence by helping the University reach an ever-growing number of students through non-credit and non-degree offerings.

Joenita leads the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Intercultural and International Development programs at UBC Extended Learning (ExL). She conducts research, designs and develops curricula and course materials, and leads a team of approximately 30 facilitators. Joenita also optimizes the integration of new online learning tools, strategies and instructional design to make the online experience accessible and interactive for adult learners. With a PhD in intercultural studies and extensive experience across international contexts, Joenita regularly presents at conferences and hosts EDI workshops, both at UBC, at other post-secondary institutions and for organizations that have included the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources, the Conference Board of Canada and Asia-Pacific Association for International Education. Her outreach activities help inform ExL programs, and ensure it stays at the forefront of current EDI practices.

Tanya manages Extended Learning’s (ExL) marketing team with an eye to achieving business objectives through the intersection of customer experience, marketing, technology and data. She collaborates with program directors and UBC faculty on strategies to market flexible programs to career and personal education learners. She assists in the planning and administration of the Continuous Learning Advancement Fund (CLAF), and is a member of the ExL Management Team, IT Governance Group and the Program Development Advisory Committee.

In her more than 25 years as a professional marketer, both in Canada and the UK, she has worked in direct response marketing and advertising with clients like TELUS, British Telecom and the Vancouver Hospital Foundation.

Karen Rolston oversees the development and delivery of UBC Extended Learning’s (ExL) educational offerings for mid-career learners. She focuses on creating valuable, meaningful educational opportunities that support and enrich people’s careers and professional transitions. A member of the ExL Management Team, she works with ExL’s educational programmers, and liaises with community and campus partners to develop online and on-campus programs that are relevant, flexible and accessible. Karen is passionate about creating inclusive, thriving, engaged and respectful workplaces, and enjoys exploring those themes at ExL, and with staff and faculty across UBC as a certified internal organizational coach with Coaching @ UBC.

Anne-Rae oversees and directs UBC Extended Learning’s (ExL) Academic Services team, an agile incubator for innovative ExL and UBC faculty non-degree programming, micro-credentials and non-credit learning opportunities. She oversees program design, market research, analysis, learning and curriculum design, learning technology, academic cloud services and educational media development. Anne-Rae is also responsible for strategic analysis, solution design and implementation, and budget financial modelling for new programming.

Anne-Rae is a member of the ExL Management Team, the ExL Program Development Advisory Committee, and the Vice-President Academic and Provost’s (VPAO) New Programs Hub. She manages the administration of VPAO funding initiatives such as the Continuous Learning Advancement Fund (CLAF) and oversees the University’s UBCx Edx portfolio, including development of new programming, industry outreach, promotion, delivery and support of existing and faculty partnered programs.

A solutions-focused, team-oriented leader, Anne-Rae brings more than a decade of broad-based and technical experience in strategic planning, design, development, delivery and support of teaching and learning in fully online, hybrid and open modalities to her role.

Pam is responsible for the operational and strategic management of UBC Extended Learning (ExL) human resources, finance, health and safety, facilities, student services, communications and administration. In her role, Pam develops and implements administrative practices and procedures that drive program innovation and streamline business functions and processes.

A member of the ExL Management Team, she has more than nine years’ management and operational experience at UBC, and has a background in leading large facility operations and teams. Pam’s talent is using creative visual communications to motivate, inspire and connect.

As a member of the UBC Extended Learning (ExL) student services team, Judy supports students by answering questions about ExL programs and courses, helps students choose the right courses, and assists them with registration. She also performs a range of administrative duties to ensure the smooth operation of student services and the ExL registration desk.

Aideen supports the development, marketing and administration of a number of UBC Extended Learning (ExL) and faculty programs, including the UBC Future Global Leaders (FGL) pre-university summer program, the UBC Certificate in Biomedical Visualization and Communication, the UBC Micro-certificate in Blockchain Innovation and Implementation, and the Peter A. Allard School of Law Executive Learning Program in Mining Law and Sustainability.

In her role, she liaises with UBC Student Recruitment and Marketing, UBC Camps and school groups (for Future Global Leaders), as well as faculty staff and instructors, to deliver programs for high school students and adult learners alike.

Aideen strives to provide students with a fulfilling, valuable UBC experience, and enjoys improving program processes.

Nicole supports program development initiatives for Extended Learning (ExL) and Faculty programming as part of the Academic Services Program Development, Design and Research team. She conducts research and data analysis, and helps with call funding administration, including the Continuous Learning Advancement Fund (CLAF). 

Nicole also designs and develops course content, media assets, assessments and evaluation tools, and helps manage communications with Faculty, institutional partners and students. She supervises systems for tracking UBCx courses, and helps implement learning tools for learning management systems. Nicole is part of the ExL Learning Design & Learning Technology and ExL DIY Media communities.