COLLEEN
KILLEN-ROBERTS

Colleen Killen-Roberts was recruited to the Edward Lowe Foundation in 2015 as General Manager of Economic Gardening, in April 2016 she was promoted to director of entrepreneurship, and in December of 2019 she was promoted again to Vice President of Entrepreneurship. In her current role she leads the entrepreneurship team in developing programs that help second-stage entrepreneurs get to the next level, including the System for Integrated Growth, Economic Gardening®, PeerSpectives® Roundtables and Leader Retreats at Big Rock Valley. Killen-Roberts also cultivates appropriate partners to deliver these programs throughout the country and manages the rollout process.

 

A trained business coach, Killen-Roberts has more than 20 years of operational and fiscal management experience. She played a key role in several second-stage companies as director of operations, CFO and chief of staff, guiding these companies to profitability and record growth. Most recently, she was the director of business operations at Emerson School, a nationally recognized nonprofit school for gifted children in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

 

Among professional recognitions, Killen-Roberts was a finalist in the 2007 Crain’s Detroit Business CFO of the Year award and a Golden Key winner in the 2006 TEC Group for being a leader of leaders.

 

In addition to promoting entrepreneurship, Killen-Roberts is passionate about her family, pets and community and serves on the board of the Kalamazoo Humane Society.

 

She earned a bachelor’s degree in administration, accounting and management at the University of Michigan and earned an MBA from Eastern Michigan University, graduating magna cum laude.