Senator Collins graduated Phi Beta Kappa from St. Lawrence University in 1975 and began working for Maine Representative Bill Cohen. She remained a member of his staff when he was elected to the Senate three years later, where she was promoted to staff director of the Oversight of Government Management Subcommittee of the Committee on Governmental Affairs.
In 1987, she was appointed by Maine Governor John McKernan as Commissioner of the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation. In 1992, she was appointed as Director of the Small Business Administration’s Regional Office by President George H.W. Bush. She continued her work to champion small businesses when she was named the founding Executive Director of the Center for Family Business at Husson College (now Husson University) in 1994.
I have a strong record of supporting education at all levels. This includes promoting early childhood education, improving our public school system for kindergarten through 12th grade, and working to increase the affordability of higher education. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Education Committee, I will continue to work to ensure that Congress provides robust funding and targeted legislation for the most effective educational programs aimed at helping teachers and students succeed.
I have made engaging with Maine’s students and faculty a top priority, visiting more than 200 schools during my time as a Senator.