CALGARY, AB – Colleen Collins, a marketing professor at B.C.’s Simon Fraser University, has been appointed vice-president of the Canada West Foundation.

Collins, who was Associate Dean of the Beedie School of Business at SFU from 2008 to 2013, will join the Foundation’s Calgary office on September 8. She brings with her a broad range of experience in administration, government and academia that reaches back to her early career in the late 1970s as a researcher in the office of then-Alberta premier Peter Lougheed.

“Colleen is an outstanding addition to the team at the Foundation,” said Dylan Jones, President & CEO. “Her understanding of government and extensive background as a researcher and policymaker will add even greater vigour to our outstanding research program.”

Collins earned her PhD in Marketing at the University of Alberta in 1993, 14 years after she achieved her undergrad degree at the same school. Since joining the Beedie School in 1991, she has taught extensively on marketing and research, as well as taking on administrative duties as Associate Dean. Her dozens of academic articles are also published widely.

Her research often has public policy implications, Collins said. “My work has examined how people respond to economic incentives/disincentives in the areas of green energy and health care, as well as evaluation of the impact of government programs on their intended targets.”

Collins said two accomplishments stand out from her career at Beedie: the establishment of the Executive MBA in Aboriginal Business and Leadership; and collaborating with graduate schools in the U.S., Mexico and Brazil to create the Americas MBA for Executives.

These two programs help senior managers “expand their knowledge and understanding of the business environment of our local First Nations and as well the growing and often underestimated markets of Latin America,” she said.

The Foundation is growing its role as a bold advocate for the West, addressing critical barriers to its success and providing solutions to improve the lives of westerners. This includes its work on the essential skills gap, the need for better infrastructure and responsible development of natural resources. Collins’ expertise will add value to the Foundation’s role as a rare and needed voice in the West on significant policy issues, said Jones.

The Foundation would also like to thank Catherine Harder, who has served as Interim Vice-President of the Foundation since September 2014. “Catherine’s contribution to the Foundation has been invaluable,” said Jones. “Through good-natured determination, diplomacy and a steady hand, she has helped us to build our capacity as an organization.”

The Canada West Foundation focuses on the policies that shape the West’s quality of life. Through our evidence-based research and commentary, we provide the objective, practical solutions. For more than 40 years, we have been a passionate advocate for western Canada.

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Doug Firby
Director of Communications
403-831-8812