Commander James Hutton, CD, Bsc, MSc, MBA

I joined the Canadian Navy in 1968 where I initially trained as an electronics technician. I served at sea in HMCS Assiniboine and HMCS Saskatchewan as a Firecontrol Technician where I maintained an analog computer that calculated the lead angle for the guns and a SPG-48 Firecontrol radar.

After five years working at sea I took a leave of absence to study Electronic Technology at the Nova Scotia Technical College. After completing my first year of studies the Navy selected me in a commissioning program to study engineering at Royal Roads Military College. After four years of demanding academic studies I was selected for the Navy’s prestigious Postgraduate Training on Scholarship Program upon graduation in 1979. I entered a graduate program at the University of Victoria to study Applied Physics. My Graduate Thesis was in Arctic Underwater Acoustics and was sponsored by Defence Research. Upon earning a Master's Degree I went on to study systems engineering at the Technical University of Nova Scotia and the Navy’s Fleet School.

After completing these studies I began my career as a Naval Engineer when I was assigned to HMCS OTTAWA as the ship's Systems Engineer in 1984. I supervised a department of 48 technicians and technologist and was responsible for the maintenance of the ships weapons and sensor systems. As a result of my success in this role I was promoted and posted to Naval Headquarters in Ottawa where I participated in the development of policy and standards for naval software. In 1990 he was promoted again to the rank of Commander [Lieutenant Colonel] and posted to Victoria as the Senior Engineer for a squadron of ships. While in this position I was deployed to the Middle East during the1990 Gulf War.

Following this assignment I was personally selected, by the project manager of the navy's $10 billion ship construction program, to manage all west coast operations. As the Commanding Officer of the Project Detachment I  was responsible for completing construction and acceptance of 5 of the Navy's 12 new state of the art ships assigned to the west coast. During this assignment I was recognized for my ability to build consensus among some 26 stakeholders, often with opposing views, to complete each ship on time and under budget.

After nearly 30 years in uniform I began a second career in post-secondary education when I accepted a position as the Registrar and Dispute Resolution Manager of a Provincial Quasi-Judicial Tribunal. While in this role I was recognized for my ability to facilitate resolutions without the need for a Hearing.

I then returned to the field of engineering when I accepted a position as the Director of Facilities at Royal Roads University where I continued to hone my skills as a collaborative leader. In 2006 he was appointed as the Director of College Services and Ancillary Business Operations at Seneca College in Toronto. While in this position I grew the college’s ancillary businesses by over 45% over a three year period largely by cultivating partnerships with local businesses and applying innovative solutions to resolve chronic problems.

In 2009 I was selected by Cambrian College to be their Vice-President Finance and Administration largely as a result of my success in ancillary business development. The college was under enormous financial pressure due to government grant cutbacks. I championed a number of difficult initiatives aimed at right-sizing the workforce, including contracting out some services and introducing initiatives aimed at increasing ancillary revenues. I also introduced the concept of Public-Private Partnerships for constructing new facilities and providing private funding for lab equipment.

In 2014 after a multifaceted career spanning 45 years I chose to retire for the second time and relocate back to my home town of Owen Sound. Since my retirement I have kept busy mentoring owners of small businesses and volunteering my time to participate on local municipal committees.