Gary holds a PhD in Philosophy from York University, a Masters of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Guelph, and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Brandon University. Gary is currently the Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) Coordinator at Brandon University. His research includes the intersections of PLAR, Adult Learning, Rural Community and Economic Development, Rural Immigration, and Rural Policy. Gary returns as a team member of the Rural Development Institute. From 2009 to 2020, he served as an editor and grant writer and was involved in the conception and dissemination of findings for a range of research projects, including the Community Economic Development: Pathfinder Project, the SSHRC funded Rural Policy Learning Commons, and An Assessment of the Aurora Business Leadership Program. He is currently a researcher on an Indigenous community- based project focused on food security and sovereignty. His interest is to explore how PLAR principles and practices can be a driver for community development and a process for acknowledging and respecting Indigenous traditions, practices, and teachings.