Colleen Killen-Roberts

Colleen Killen-Roberts was recruited to the foundation in 2015. In April 2016 she was promoted to director of entrepreneurship and then named divisional vice president of entrepreneurship in December 2018. In her current role she leads the entrepreneurship team in developing programs that help second-stage entrepreneurs get to the next level. These include: the System for Integrated Growth, PeerSpectives® Roundtables, the American Academy of Entrepreneurs®, Leader Retreats at Big Rock Valley, Entrepreneur in Residence and Legacy Council. 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.

Killen-Roberts currently serves on the board of Michigan Celebrates Small Business and the Michigan Manufacturing Growth Alliance. In addition to promoting entrepreneurship, she is passionate about her family, pets and community. She is a board member at the Kalamazoo Humane Society and co-chaired a capital campaign that raised more than $4.75 million for an animal resource center.

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.