Community leader and social entrepreneur, Kristen Murray, is the first 2023 recipient of the Ian MacPherson Legacy Fund.
Kristen has been recognized for her academic and professional contributions to the co-operative field.
As part of her university internship, Kristen successfully conducted an evaluation project with the Newfoundland-Labrador Federation of Co-operatives (NLFC) on “A Co-operative Incubator for Newfoundland & Labrador.”
After successfully completing her internship, Kristen now leads the development of the NLFC Co-operative Incubator as Project Specialist. In the meantime, Kristen wants to increase co-operative development capacity in her home province through enrolling in CoopZone’s Co-operative Developer Training Program.
Kristen is a graduate from the Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Business Administration in Social Enterprise & Entrepreneurship from Memorial University of Newfoundland. In addition, she also serves on the Inspiring Communities’ inaugural Atlantic Changemakers Council and received the 2022 Lemaire Co-operative Studies Award from the Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation.
The Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada, the Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada and the Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation established a bursary to commemorate the late Ian MacPherson’s outstanding contribution to the study and promotion of cooperatives. This fund supports student participation in research conferences, co-operative research, and co-operative involvement.