Sharon Manson Singer, PhD, was appointed President of Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN) in February 2006. She has more than two decades of experience in the public policy environment. From 1997 to 2001, she held a number of deputy minister positions in the British Columbia government, including being the lead deputy minister for British Columbia during the creation of the National Child Benefit and the National Children's Agenda. Dr. Manson Singer was a tenured professor at the University of British Columbia and is also an adjunct professor at the School of Public Administration at University of Victoria and Faculty of Management at Royal Roads University.

Her areas of expertise include health and social policy, research methods, voluntary sector management and leadership. She has served as an expert advisor to all levels of government in Canada and internationally on issues related to income security and poverty reduction. Her Ph.D. in social welfare economics is from Brandeis University in the United States where she studied as a National Welfare Fellow. Between 2001 and 2005 she operated her own consulting firm, providing advice on corporate governance, public policy design and advice, strategic management, business development and human resources development counsel to the private, public and voluntary sectors both in Canada and internationally.

Dr. Manson Singer has a long history of service to the business and voluntary sectors having served as Vice-Chair of BC Hydro and BC Hydro International and on the executive boards of the United Way, Social Research and Development Corporation, Laurier Institute, Canadian Council on Social Development, Centre for Non-Profit Management, Britannia Community Services Society, BC Addiction Foundation among many others.