MENLO PARK, Calif. – The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation announced the hire of Patrick Collins, a proven innovator with nearly two decades of experience in the information technology field, as the Foundation’s new Chief Information Officer.
In this position, Collins will work closely with Foundation staff to use technology to enhance the Foundation’s programmatic goals. In particular, he will be responsible for ensuring that the Foundation has a robust information technology infrastructure; that information systems support fully integrated, state-of-the-art business processes; and that information technology supports the Foundation’s philanthropic activities. Collins reports to Hewlett Foundation Vice President Susan Bell.
“Technology is at the center of much of our work – including our grantmaking,” said Foundation President Paul Brest. “Patrick will play a very important role in helping the Hewlett Foundation continue to find new ways to use technology to strengthen our operations, our grants and our grantees. We’re very pleased to have him on board.”
Collins comes to the Hewlett Foundation after several years in top information technology positions with the University of California. Most recently, he was the Director of Information and Communication Services at the UC Office of the President in Oakland, Calif. There he directed a 65-member information technology group that provided IT services for 2,200 employees at UC’s headquarters and led the University’s IT Strategic Sourcing Program, which involved negotiating and managing contracts for $200 million in annual IT purchases. Collins also launched and served as Executive Director of UC’s California Census Research Data Center, where he negotiated a pioneering data sharing agreement with the US Census Bureau that resulted in unprecedented access to data for UC researchers.
Previously, Collins was the Project Director at Cornell University’s National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect. He transformed the organization from a little-known data repository into a technology leader among its peers and a center for training, research and networking in the child welfare field.
Collins earned an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and a BS from Cornell University.
About the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, www.hewlett.org, has been making grants since 1966 to help solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. The foundation concentrates its resources on activities in education, environment, global development, performing arts, philanthropy, population, and makes grants to support disadvantaged communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. A full list of all the Hewlett Foundation’s grants can be found at www.hewlett.org/grants.