Speakers

Dr. James Boutilier is the Special Advisor (Policy) at Canada’s Maritime
Forces Pacific Headquarters in Esquimalt, British Columbia. He is
responsible for advising the Commander of Maritime Forces Pacific on
matters of defence and foreign policy and maritime security in the Asia-
Pacific region. Prior to his appointment at MARPAC, Dr. Boutilier
spent twenty-four years on staff at the Royal Roads Military College in
Victoria as Head of the History Department and then as Dean of Arts.
During his time at RRMC, he was instrumental in establishing the
military and strategic studies degree program at the college and taught
courses on naval history, contemporary Asia, the history of the Pacific,
and strategic issues. He is also an adjunct professor of Pacific and Asian
Studies at the University of Victoria and the President of the Maritime Awards Society of Canada.
Dr. Boutilier was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and attended Dalhousie University (BA History:
1960), McMaster University (MA History: 1962), and the University of London (PhD History:
1969). Dr. Boutilier served in the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve from 1956 to 1964 as a
navigating officer and in the same capacity in the Royal Navy Reserve from 1964 to 1969. After
completing his time with the RN, Dr. Boutilier taught at the University of the South Pacific in
Suva, Fiji, from 1969 to 1971.
Dr. Boutilier’s field of expertise is Asia-Pacific defence and security, particularly with regards to
maritime issues. He has published widely on international defence and security issues, including
RCN in Retrospect (1982), and articles in professional monographs as well as the Asia-Pacific Defence
Reporter and Canadian Institute of International Affairs journals. Some of his recent lectures have
focused on the Canadian Navy’s role in the Asia-Pacific, the new Asian security architecture,
Northeast Asian security issues, and the new naval order in Asia. Dr. Boutilier lectures frequently
at the NATO Defense College, the Canadian Forces College, the Australian Defence College,
and the National Defense University of the Philippines. Dr. Boutilier participates on a regular
basis in the International Maritime Defence Exhibition (IMDEX), the ASEAN Regional Forum
Conference on National Defence Colleges, and the Asia-Pacific Roundtable. He contributes
regularly to print and electronic media, including written articles and television interviews.
Dr. Boutilier belongs to a variety of professional organizations including the Canadian
Consortium on Asia-Pacific Security, the Council on Security Cooperation in Asia-Pacific, the
Maritime Museum of British Columbia, the Pacific People’s Partnership, and several local
advisory boards. Dr. Boutilier participates in and promotes the coordination of community
events and public forums that raise the general awareness of MARPAC and the Canadian Navy.

Samuel Barret will provide a presentation about his Rotary Exchange year in Paraguay

Gil Sampson has semi-retired from a lengthy career in systems design, process re-engineering and
project management, mainly inside the health industry. His continued quest to know why things work
the way they do, and how they could be improved, has recently focused on wellness – particularly the
forces that impede us from reaching our individual wellness potential. Gil is currently Vice-Chair of the
Qualicum Community Education and Wellness Society.
At our August 17th meeting, Gil’s short presentation Critical Thinking about Wellness is intended to
motivate attendees to increase their “critical thinking” about their own wellness, stimulated by a few
unsettling facts.

Commodore Mulkins is a professional landscape architect and officer in the Naval Reserve. She began her naval career in 1985 in Montreal and has since served as a Maritime Surface officer in Reserve units across the country and as a ship's officer in several classes of ships. Taking time while in university and through occasional leaves of absence from her civilian career, she served in sea-going positions of increasing responsibility which culminated in July 2003 with her assumption of command of HMCS KINGSTON. After two years in command at sea, she worked in Strategic Communications at National Defence Headquarters and in 2006 deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan for a six-month tour with Operation ARGUS, the Canadian Forces' Strategic Advisory Team – Afghanistan. Once back in her civilian career she served in other part-time appointments with the Naval Reserve including as the Operations Branch and Maritime Surface Occupation Advisor, and the Commanding Officer of HMCS CARLETON. In late 2014 she was appointed Regional Captain for Central Region (Ontario), and was subsequently appointed as Commander, Naval Reserve, in June 2015.

Commodore Mulkins holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Toronto, a Master's Degree in Defence Studies from the Royal Military College, and, after a year attending the United States Navy War College, obtained a Master's Degree in International Relations from Salve Regina University. She is now on a leave of absence from her civilian career at Public Works, Government Services Canada, where she recently completed a project management assignment in the Parliamentary Precinct Branch. Commodore Mulkins is a member of the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects and the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects. She is married to Commodore Jeffery Zwick, Commander Canadian Fleet Pacific.