Currently the Executive Director of the Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona, Collins-Fadell oversees staff that provide information, services, and resources for living with brain injury to thousands of Arizona residents.
After completing her undergraduate degree at Central Michigan University and several internships in Lansing, Collins-Fadell moved there permanently to work. It was while she was working as Chief of Staff running Rep. Dave Woodward’s Lansing office when she decided to go back to school for an MPA.
“It was there I learned to reach out and maximize my network by talking to my WMU instructors and classmates, and alumni,” Collins-Fadell said. “I was 22, hiring and managing people and I had not taken a class in that. I learned the value of the WMU family.”
After Rep. Woodward term limited out of office, Collins-Fadell moved the non-profit sector.
“During my time working for the House of Representatives in Michigan, my boss was a huge supporter and champion of the nonprofit sector and the work they did,” Collins-Fadell explained. “It really stuck with me. One of the most impactful things we did was work to get more funding for SANE (sexual assault nurse examiners) at the Oakland County nonprofit HAVEN.”
Clinics with SANE allow survivors of sexual assault a safe, comforting place with nurses who are specially trained to collect evidence and treat patients with dignity. Collins-Fadell explained that survivors sometimes wait in emergency rooms for hours, unable to shower, brush their hair, change their clothes, or use the bathroom because they could shed or destroy evidence.
“People were being re-victimized and it was amazing to be able to do something about it,” she said.
From there, Collins-Fadell worked for six years with the Michigan Alzheimer’s Association, building the first marketing and public policy programs for its chapters. From there, she moved to Phoenix to begin her work with the Brain Injury Alliance.
For students or recent graduates interested in working on the non-profit sector, Collins-Fadell has some sound advice. Start small, give back, and be curious.
“I would say follow former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomburg's advice, start small. If you want to run a homeless shelter someday, start by volunteering so that you really understand the programs from the inside out. You can have big dreams and work every day on little pieces and parts of them.
Also, always give back. One of the funnest things that I do is give back to the nonprofit sector by serving as a writer for Nonprofit Quarterly. I have learned so much and met so many fascinating people by giving my time.
Finally, be curious. I have been involved in some pretty huge and expensive trainings at Center for Creative Leadership and Deloitte, but NOTHING in my experience matches what you learn from being engaged and curious about the world around you. Talk to your instructors, interact with the nonprofits in your community, ask to shadow someone in a nonprofit who is doing the job you might want to do some day. There's no replacement for experience. I just met a volunteer who spent years dreaming of the day she could retire and work with kids. She lasted one day in the classroom and knew it was not for her. Get out and get some hands on experience. There are 100 ways WMU can help you facilitate that.
Reach out to Alumni and get a few mentors. It's a fantastic world filled with people doing great things and you have a place in it, never let the hard days make you forget that.”