"OC inspired me to become the person I am today. Because of OC, I found myself with a clear direction academically and professionally. I am not sure this would have happened anywhere else."

-Jim Page, OC alum

Jim Page - marathoner, chief financial officer for KPS Health Plans, father, OC alum

Why did you originally choose OC? What did you study?
I chose OC because I needed to work to pay for school and I had a restaurant job in Bremerton, which gave me the flexibility I needed. Ultimately, I chose accounting as a major and wanted to attend the University of Washington.

Who were your favorite professors at OC?
Dick Boyle, Lawrence Noonan and Garry Wilkin were all very good. I think my first accounting teacher, Joe Irons, would have to be my favorite. He gave me the inspiration to pursue my accounting degree. I can’t recall having a bad class or teacher at OC.

What educational goals did you pursue after OC?
At OC, I pursued a course of study that would allow me to transfer directly to the UW School of Business. The admission requirements at UW at the time did not translate into a degree at OC.  While at OC, I earned 94 credit hours over two years, Fall of 1977 through Spring of 1979. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from the UW in 1981. I passed the Certified Public Accounting examination in 1982.

What positions have you held?
I am currently the Chief Financial Officer for KPS Health Plans and owner of Page Business Advisors, a one-person consulting business. I have been with KPS for one year this time around.  I was previously CFO from 1984 to 1999 and then was the CFO at Paladin Data Systems from 1999 to 2006.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I run 20 to 30 miles per week and occasionally run marathons and half marathons. I enjoy reading and studying history, philosophy and business. I also enjoy spending time with my adult children when they are home or visiting them, and I like hanging out with my three dogs.

What community activities have you been involved in?
I have been a United Way loaned executive (1985), Hospice of Kitsap County Board member (1986 to 1992, President in 1989), Kitsap Family YMCA Board Member (1985 to 1997, President in 1994 and 1995), Kitsap Family YMCA Foundation Board member (1995 to present, current President), Rotary Club of Silverdale (1987 to 2000, President 1996), OC Foundation Board Member (1999 to present, President 2004).

What do you enjoy most?
My family. My wife Joy and I have been married for 27 years. Our daughter, Ariele, is 26 and a 2006 graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law (magna cum laude). She will soon be starting a new job working for the Code Reviser (the group that writes new laws) in Olympia. She is planning on getting married March 1, 2008. Our son Jordan is a recent graduate of Eastern Washington University, married in June and works for Moss Adams CPAs in Spokane. Our children are the lights of our lives.

How has OC inspired you?
OC inspired me to become the person I am today. Because of OC, I found myself with a clear direction academically and professionally. I am not sure this would have happened anywhere else.

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