SPOA Member Profile on Ernie Lambert

Ernie Lambert brings his expertise to SPOA

BY LISA FATTORI

Ernie Lambert is currently the director of facilities and transportation for School District No. 91 (Nechako Lakes). School District No. 91 is one of the larger geographic districts in British Columbia, covering about 77,000 square kilometers, and includes the communities of Granisle, Topley, Burns Lake, Fraser Lake, Fort Fraser, Fort St. James and Vanderhoof.

In the late 1970s, Lambert began his career in the public school sector, working as a casual custodian and school bus driver in what was, at the time, School District No. 86 (Creston-Kaslo). In 1982 he obtained his first management position as a custodial manager for Selkirk College, David Thompson University Centre and Rosemont Vocational School. At this time, Lambert was introduced to the School Plant Officials Association (SPOA).

“I was only 26, so my first impression was that this was an old boys’ club,” says Lambert. “I quickly learned, though,

CHELSEA LEONARD, BADID, LEED AP® Territory Manager, BC/Yukon Commercial Floor Products

Office: 604.279.9071 Voicemail: 800.356.9301 ext 8624 E-mail: cnleonard@armstrong.com that the members had a wealth of information they were willing to share.”

Lambert and his family relocated to Alberta, where he was employed as a custodial and security consultant for Edmonton Public Schools. He became an active member of the School Plant Officials Society of Alberta (SPOSA), a sister organization to SPOA.

Lambert returned to B.C. in 1987, and accepted the position of custodial supervisor in Campbell River, where he worked for 15 years. Lambert took on the challenging role of health and safety coordinator and worked closely with the rest of the operations team, including maintenance and transportation. It was during this period that his immediate supervisor encouraged him to take on a larger role in SPOA as part of the executive.

“In 1999, I ran for election and was voted in as executive member-at-large,” Lambert says. “I took the role seriously and wanted to be active and proactive in moving the association forward.”

A shared concern among members was that, despite their successful work performances and vast knowledge and experience, they were being passed over for promotions. “Many felt they were not getting the recognition they deserved, and newer staff, with aspirations for management positions in education facilities, didn’t know what path to follow,” Lambert says. “This is what inspired me and others to begin exploring internal certification.”

After spending countless hours researching options, the SPOA team learned that SPOSA had been struggling with a similar project. Collectively, the teams developed a template for certification and shared the services of a facilitator, who brought their ideas to fruition. Core competencies for certification, at different levels and through different tracks, were developed, and eligible members were interviewed based on the established criteria. The next step in the certification process was to provide a learning track and examination process to certify knowledge and experience.

“It was such an honour to be part of this process,” says Lambert. “All the professional development in the world could not have provided the knowledge and resources we discovered amongst our members.”

Lambert served a term as president for SPOA in 2004-2005. The association has evolved and changed with the times, as demonstrated when Lambert had the privilege of passing on the post to the first woman SPOA president, Lisa Johnston.

“I wouldn’t change my experiences with SPOA for anything,” Lambert says. “I’ve enjoyed life-long friends, support and valuable know ledge, and I’ve even had a little fun from time to time.”