Meet Collette!
Make Your Days Amazing!
I will start by sharing that I survived a major car accident during my junior year at Tennessee State University that left me with a broken neck and other bone and tissue injuries. As four friends and I drove back to college after a week of spring break, the back tire blew out and plunged the car into a forty feet ditch. I was thrown from the vehicle and recalled a sensation of flying and tumbling. I am convinced that being so close to trauma and loss reminds me to live my life with gratitude and to find beauty in everyday living.
At times, I have lived many lifetimes as my professional and personal journeys have stretched me beyond the boundaries of a single existence! I have countless imprinted stories that make me the person I am today, which I will not try fitting into this feature. Amidst the wealth of professional experiences in higher education leadership, student services, child protective services, and disaster case management- I am an optimist who thrives in creativity, introspection, spirituality, and good laughter. Since I know what it feels like to fly and tumble… and to sweat and itch while in a body cast, I embrace this life’s insatiable curiosity and mysteries.
I was born and raised in Memphis, TN, until I left home to attend Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN. I am the 5th born of 7children to hard-working parents and 1st of twins. My faith and value system are central to my life, influencing my decisions, relationships, and overall well-being.
I married four months before graduating with a BS degree in Psychology and began my first career in child protective services. I have seen some of the ugliest sides of people and traveled back roads in rural Kentucky to rescue children as part of a multidisciplinary team of police, attorneys, social workers, and medical professionals. Some years later, I continued community social work as Supervisor for Disaster Case Management with Lutheran Family & Children’s Services during the Hurricane Katrina tragedy.
The first time, I became an STL transplant due to my spouse’s work with the federal government and began working for Harris-Stowe State University. At HSSU, I advanced to several positions, including Counselor, Coordinator of Counseling and Health Services, and Director of Student Development & Wellness. I came to Olin in March of 2021, having relocated “back” to the St. Louis region in October 2019 after living and working for the City Colleges of Chicago for the better part of twelve years. Returning to STL was a solo journey to heal from marriage failure. Remember, I am familiar with flying and tumbling. The joys and sorrows of love, the exhilaration of triumph, and the agony of loss are “lifetimes” that shaped moments of my life.
During my marriage, we adopted four beautiful children, Arika, Jarred, Jordan, and Joshua (at various times). These were four separate adoptions, with four sets of birth parents! Moreover, I worked full-time and completed the MA in Higher Education as a wife and mother. No easy feat… “my soul looks back and wonders how I got over!” With each step, my story has been a tapestry of connections interwoven with the threads of the boundless possibilities of human resilience. I recently completed the Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership, representative of my belief in the transformative power of education. My position as Academic Advisor at Olin allows me to partner with students in their success as they seek the FT MBA degree. Getting to know me gives you a glimpse into how I choose to have amazing days by practicing gratitude, faith, compassion, and peace. I love sunflowers, walks in nature, photography, quirky fashion, thrifting, books, music, art, and my mother’s lemon meringue pie!