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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