Darron Asher Collins (born 1970) is an American human ecologist and academic administrator specialized in

ethnobotany Ethnobotany is an interdisciplinary field at the interface of natural and social sciences that studies the relationships between humans and plants. It focuses on traditional knowledge of how plants are used, managed, and perceived in human socie ...

. He became president of the

College of the Atlantic College of the Atlantic (COA) is a private liberal arts college in Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island, Maine. Founded in 1969, it awards bachelors and masters ( M.Phil.) degrees solely in the field of human ecology, an interdisciplinary approa ...

in 2011.

Life

Collins is from

Morris Plains, New Jersey Morris Plains is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,153, an increase of 621 (+11.2%) from the 2010 census count of 5,532, which in turn reflected a ...

. His grandmother, Josephine Collins (née Flynn), was born in

County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...

and immigrated to

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a Town (New Jersey), town in and the county seat of Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

in May 1928. Collins was raised in nearby Parsippany–Troy Hills, New Jersey and graduated from Parsippany Hills High School in 1988. He was awarded a

Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was established by the United States Congress in 1986 in honor of former United States Senator and 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater ...

and graduated from

in 1992. Collins completed a master's degree in Latin American Studies and a Ph.D. in anthropology at

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

. During his studies, he researched ethnobotany in Guatemala and became conversant in

Qʼeqchiʼ Qʼeqchiʼ () (Kʼekchiʼ in the former orthography, or simply Kekchi in many English-language contexts, such as in Belize) are a Maya people Maya () are an ethnolinguistic group of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples o ...

. His 2001 dissertation was titled ''From Woods to Weeds: Cultural and Ecological Transformations in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala''. Collins worked for the

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named th ...

for ten years, ending as the managing director of creative assets. He became president of the

in 2011. Collins is the first COA alumni to hold the position. Collins is married and has two daughters. Preceding 2011, Collins resided in

Decatur, Georgia Decatur () is a city and the county seat of DeKalb County, Georgia, DeKalb County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. With a population of 24,928 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, th ...

References

1970 births Living people College of the Atlantic alumni Tulane University alumni American ecologists Parsippany Hills High School alumni People from Morris Plains, New Jersey People from Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey Scientists from New Jersey College of the Atlantic faculty Human ecologists American ethnobotanists American anthropologists 21st-century American biologists American people of Irish descent {{Ecology-bio-stub