By Anne Craig, Communications Officer

The former president of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has been named the Skelton-Clark Fellow in the Queen’s University School of Policy Studies.

During her five-year term with CIDA, Margaret Biggs shaped Canada’s global efforts on maternal and child health, food security, economic growth and democratic governance. She also has extensive experience in other aspects of international policy, including Canada’s work in fragile and conflict-affected states, and in social policy and intergovernmental relations.

The new Queen's University Skelton-Clark Fellow in Policy Studies is Margaret Biggs.

“I am delighted to be named the Skelton-Clark Fellow and to build on the strong connection between Queen's and public policy and public service in Canada,” says Ms. Biggs. “This Fellowship will give me the opportunity to share my knowledge as a public policy practitioner and to learn new ideas and perspectives from Queen's students and scholars.”

Ms. Biggs was previously the Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet and Assistant Secretary responsible for priorities and planning in the Privy Council Office.

“Having someone with this level of expertise and this level of experience in government joining Queen’s will be a benefit to our faculty, our students, and the community as a whole,” says Principal Daniel Woolf. “Ms. Biggs continues a respected tradition of linking Queen’s to the federal and provincial public services.”

The Skelton-Clark Fellowship was created in 1954 in recognition of the major contribution of two Queen’s faculty members to the policy issues of their time and to the creation of the modern public service of Canada. O.D. Skelton, a professor of political studies and Dean of Arts at Queen’s, left the university in 1925 to head what is now the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, and was its Deputy Minister for nineteen years. W. Clifford Clark taught politics and economics at Queen’s; he was recruited to the Department of Finance in 1932, where he served as Deputy Minister for twenty years and was largely responsible for the creation of the Bank of Canada in 1935.

“Ms. Biggs’ experience is a major asset for Queen’s, and her first-hand involvement in the development of major international and social policies provide her with a unique perspective on public policy development,” says Kim Nossal, Director of the School of Policy Studies.