Dr. James Collard
Director, Planning & Economic Development, Citizen Potawatomi Nation
Biography
Dr. Collard is currently the Director of Planning and Economic Development for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN), a Native American Tribal Nation. In this capacity he compiled and implements the CPN Economic Development Strategy. He is currently developing Iron Horse, a rail-anchored Eco-industrial park following the principles of the Circular Economy. Iron Horse is also one of the first Foreign Trade Zones on Native American land with activated sites.
Dr. Collard is a Fellow and recently completed an eight-year term on the Board of Directors for the International Economic Development Council. He holds the prestigious Certified International Trade Professional designation from the Forum for International Trade Training and in June 2022 was elected to the Board of Directors. He is also on the Executive Committee of the International Inter-tribal Trade & Investment Organization (IITO). Dr. Collard is a current member and Past Chair of the OK Governor’s International Team and is a member of the Oklahoma District Export Council. He was recently appointed as a member of the Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee to the United States Trade Representative (USTR). He is also the co-founder and chair of the Tribal-Municipal Dialogue, a group dedicated to increasing cooperation between tribal & local governments.