Lisa Collins is the new Jones County College and Career Academy CEO and the Executive Director of College and CTAE programs, inspiring young minds as they make decisions beyond high school.
Collins lives at Lake Sinclair and said she likes the area. She’s from a small rural area in the state of New York. She said she moved to the South to be closer to family. The director said she moved to Fayette County before moving to Lake Sinclair.
“A small knit community is something that we wanted, and the lake is very calming. I was excited when this role became available, and we were able to call Lake Sinclair home,” she said. “Jones County and this area reminds me of that small rural part of where I lived in upstate New York. Everyone here is so kind and helpful.”
Collins said for the past nine years, she served as the career and technical education director for Fayette County Public Schools. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oneonta in business education, a Master’s degree from SUNY Albany in educational psychology and an Educational Specialist degree from Lincoln Memorial University in administration and supervision.
“My background is in Career and Technical Agricultural Education, and I’ve been in that field over 30 years. In my previous position I was in a similar role. That’s why I am in the role of Executive Director of the CTAE programs and CEO of the Jones County College and Career Academy. This is a great community to be a part of,” Collins said.
The CEO said she was super excited to step into her new role at Jones County High School.
She said the number of pathway options for students is inspiring. She noted that the students have a lot of opportunities, and the community support is important for the students.
Collins said she plans to keep things very similar as it was last year, because she feels things have been working great for most of the students at the school. She said she wants to learn the Jones County way of doing things, and she wants to keep things going.
“Providing students opportunities to explore their passions and to go beyond getting a high school credit is something that’s amazing,” the CEO said. “Students can choose to go directly into a career, and it’s great to have that opportunity. It gives them a competitive edge.”
Collins said the magic only happens for the students to succeed when everyone comes together to support them. She said her role at the Jones County College and Career Academy isn’t the only one that matters, and the teachers, counselors and others help make a huge difference. The director said she wants students to find their passion and explore what they are good at.
“I believe that it’s important for people to feel good about the work that they do and based on what their unique gifts and talents are,” she said. “I always encouraged my own children and the students who I taught to follow that which stirs their heart. You can feel your heart on fire when you do it, whatever it is.”
