Deb Zehr joined UBC on March 4, 2013 as Director, Community Partnership within the portfolio of the Vice President, Communications and Community Partnership. Deb has held numerous senior management and leadership roles in the not-for-profit sector and government with responsibilities ranging from policy development and federal/provincial relations to operations and stakeholder relations.
Most recently, Deb was the Executive Director, Immigrant Integration Branch and Welcome BC within the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training where she was responsible for the design and implementation of settlement, integration and immigrant labour market services in BC. These services were delivered by over 100 sector partners across the province. From 2003 to 2009, Deb was the Executive Director of Immigration Policy and Intergovernmental Relations with the BC provincial government, which included the negotiations of the 2004 and 2010 Canada British Columbia Immigration Agreements.
Deb came to BC from Winnipeg in 2003, following four years as Director of Immigration Promotion and Recruitment with the Manitoba government where she led the development and implementation of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (provincial selection of economic immigrants), the first program of its kind in Canada. Prior to moving to the provincial government, Deb worked for nine years as the Manager of settlement services at a community based organization in Manitoba. Deb has a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Manitoba.
Community Engagement is one of the three major commitments in UBC’s strategic plan, Place and Promise. As Director, Community Partnership, Deb has the unique opportunity to shape and formulate a core strategy for UBC and to engage with an initiative that touches all aspects of UBC.