Richard Saillant is the director of the Donald J. Savoie Institute at the Université de Moncton. Originally from Val­Comeau, in New Brunswick's Acadian Peninsula, Saillant is a former vice president of the Université de Moncton and senior public servant. He has spent nearly fifteen years in Ottawa in various departments, including the Privy Council Office, Industry Canada, and Transport Canada. He is the author of Over the Cliff? Acting Now to Avoid New Brunswick's Bankruptcy (2014).