The YMCA response to the disaster caused by the 2004 tsunami in Asia

Abstract

The author is currently President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) of San Francisco , and also Vice-President of the World Society for Ekistics (WSE). Following his studies and receipt of his Bachelor of Arts with honors from Williams College, his Master of City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his Juris Doctor from the Harvard Law School, and his diploma in Ekistics from the Graduate School of Ekistics of the Athens Technological Organization in Athens, Greece, where he studied with C.A. Doxiadis under a fellowship from the Thomas J. Watson Foundation, he practiced law with the firms of Steinhart & Falconer (Piper fìudnick) and Berkeley & Rhodes; as Deputy Secretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency for the State of California, he coordinated the management and policy direction of the Department of Housing Community Development and the Department of Real Estate. He served on the Board of the California Housing Finance Agency, and also secured an extensive city planning background, having worked with Sedway/Cooke and Associates. Among his major responsibilities was directing a comprehensive study for the City and County of San Francisco incorporating economic and fiscal considerations, land use planning, transportation systems, and housing requirements for downtown San Francisco. Following this earlier period of his life, Mr Collins was Chairman and President of WDG Ventures, Inc. and Managing General Partner of WDG Ventures, Ltd which comprise the WDGV family of companies, all of which are engaged in the investment and development of commercial and residential real estate. He has also directed business development, corporate and equity finance and access to capital markets for the companies and affiliated partnerships.