JOHN
COLLINS
is a Caribbean journalist based in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
A native
of St. Louis, Missouri, he is a 31-year resident of the Caribbean, he has
lived in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic and St. Marten as
well as in Puerto Rico.
John
visited virtually every state in the region, many of them numerous times,
through the years. As a journalist as well as a former government
official he has attended virtually every summit of the CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY
since 1985 and numerous meetings of the ASSOCIATION of CARIBBEAN STATES, the
Africa Caribbean & Pacific Group of States (ACP), the Organization of
Caribbean States (OAS), among others.
A former
correspondent for the Caribbean bureau of UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL for six
years (1978-83), he has contributed to or presently contributes to numerous
publications including CARIBBEAN BUSINESS (Puerto Rico), REVISTA INTER FORUM &
PYMES DOMINICANAS (D.R.), THE CARIBBEAN INVESTOR (Trinidad), the JAMAICA
OBSERVER, the ST. LUCIA STAR and the GRENADIAN VOICE, among others.
His
articles are archived and accessible through PuertoRicoWOW, Revista
Inter-Forum & [Pymes Dominicanas], the Caribbean Investor (Trinidad),
MANCHESTER TRADE (Washington), and through the websites of some of the
publications to which he contributes.
His
Caribbean reportage has been recognized by four awards from the OVERSEAS PRESS
CLUB.
Collins
was an adviser on CARIBBEAN AFFAIRS to three governors of PUERTO RICO
(1985-93) serving under Economic Development Administrator (& later Resident
Commissioner of Puerto Rico in the U.S. Congress) ANTONIO J. COLORADO in
helping develop Puerto Rico’s Section 936 loan program in support of the
Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) under which $1.2 billion in financing for
projects was provided to 12 states in the region.
He also
served as a consultant to Senate President Ruby M. Rouss of the Legislature
and Gov. Juan Luis of the U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. He was also elected as a
DELEGATE-AT-LARGE to the Fourth Constitutional Convention of the USVI
(1979.80)
John
served as an
adviser on CARIBBEAN AFFAIRS to the governments of Presidents Joaquin BALAGUER
and Leonel FERNANDEZ of the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.
Presently serves as a Research Fellow on CARIBBEAN AFFAIRS in the GLOBAL
FOUNDATION for Democracy & Development (headed by ex-President Fernandez) in
Santo Domingo.
Other
career accomplishments he considers memorable are two stints at the UNITED
NATIONS as an official of a foundation supporting the UN RELIEF & WORKS AGENCY
(UNRWA) for PALESTINIAN REFUGEES (1967-70) and as a conference assistant
during the 13th GENERAL ASSEMBLY (1958) under President Charles
Malik of Lebanon and later in other functions in the Secretariat.
A
veteran of the U.S. AIR FORCE (1952-56), Collins served in Illinois, Texas,
Kansas, Missouri, Washington, D.C., Germany, Morocco and Libya.
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