Marisa Collins brings a wealth of experience across the nonprofit sector including sales, project and event management, fundraising, marketing, and communications.

Before joining the OPEN MINDS team, Ms. Collins was the Director of Partnerships and Partner Communications at Social Current, a nonprofit organization and network that provides resources, training, accreditation, and advocacy for the human and social services sector. Here, Ms. Collins drove revenue through collaborative partnerships and content including topics such as trauma-informed approaches, data analytics, and workforce resiliency.

Before that, Ms. Collins was the Director of Constituent Engagement at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where she led the University project management for top donors, legacy giving engagement, donor stories and development support. In addition, Ms. Collins executed the first successful cohesive endowment report distribution collaborating across multiple University departments.

During Ms. Collins’ time as Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, she helped launch the Graduate Certificate in Cardiovascular Nursing, working in partnership with University of Louisiana at Lafayette faculty and Cardiovascular Institute of the South.

Prior to that, Ms. Collins was the Marketing and Public Relations Director at the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promote, protect and advance the well-being of Louisiana’s companion animals. In this role, Ms. Collins lead all marketing and public relations projects including the foundation and oversight of new campaigns, including the first segment with the Telemundo affiliate. In additional roles, Ms. Collins scaled revenue by managing several major events and helped set the foundation for record annual visits and surgeries as Interim Director of the LA/SPCA Community Clinic.

Originally from New Jersey, Ms. Collins has lived in Peru, Brazil, and Italy while now based in Louisiana. Ms. Collins holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife Ecology with an emphasis in Communications and a second major in Spanish from Oklahoma State University. She has continued her studies as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in Rio De Janeiro and coaches youth soccer in her free time.