Craig Desjardins

Craig Desjardins is a business, innovation and economic development leader with a unique blend of over 20 years of private, public and academic sector experience.

In the role of Director of the Office of Strategy, Innovation and Partnerships at the City of Kingston, Craig leads the development and integration of strategy and innovation activity across the corporation and in the community including the new Integrated Economic Development Strategy. He also oversees the workforce development and in-migration strategy implementation, smart cities initiatives and is the Accountable Executive for the Kingston Airport.

Prior to joining the City of Kingston, Craig was a leader in community economic development, where he managed Investment, venture capital and grant funds that supported business start-up and scaling of firms in the rural communities west of Kingston.

In the past, Craig served more than a decade as an elected municipal politician in the City of Quinte West, and then joined the faculty of the Queen’s School of Business in 2011, teaching in the full-time MBA Program with a focus on new venture start-ups. He has also taught entrepreneurship at the Royal Military College of Canada. Craig is a graduate of both Western University (BA, Economics) and Queen’s University (MBA’91).

Education

• Master's Queen's University (1989 — 1991)
• BA Western University (1985 — 1989)

Companies

• Director, Office of Strategy, Innovation & Partnerships City of Kingston (2018)
• Senior Manager, Innovation and Institutional Partnerships City of Kingston (2016 — 2018)
• Executive Director Upper Canada Equity Fund (2015 — 2016)
• Executive Director Prince Edward Lennox & Addington Institute for Rural Development (2007 — 2016)
• Executive Director Community Futures of Prince Edward and Lennox & Addington (2004 — 2016)
• Adjunct Professor Queen's School of Business (2010 — 2015)
• Adjunct Instructor Royal Military College of Canada (2014 — 2014)
• Councillor, Trenton Ward City of Quinte West (1998 — 2010)