Carla Collins (Senior Vice President)

Class Title: Program Manager
Department: Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention, Division of Equity & Social Justice, CEO's Office
Executive Board Service: 14 years
Email: [email protected]
Work Phone: (408) 472-1227
Personal Phone: (408) 655-8766
Committee Chair: Political Action Committee

My name is Carla Drina Collins, and I am proud to serve as Senior Vice- President of our CEMA Board.

A San Jose native deeply invested in my community, I came to the County in 2002 and have worked in various grant-funded capacities, as extra help and as a proud CEMA member and coded public servant.

Today I am a Program Manager II in the Office of the County Executive overseeing the Office of Gender-Based Violence Prevention and I am proud of the work I do in partnership with County agencies and the community to transform the way we respond to gender-based violence.

I am a fierce believer and defender of democracy and given the uncertainty of our economy, CEMA must be stronger than ever to address the important issues our membership faces: issues like budget reductions and creating a pandemic recovery plan that values workers, prioritizing reasonable work weeks and fair compensation. These issues demand strong, thoughtful leadership standing with membership. As part of our CEMA E-Board I also work to hold our county leadership accountable.

I am an independent thinking strategic planner with expertise in ethics and compliance, transparency, leadership and collaboration. For over thirty years I have served on various boards and staffed various commissions. I believe we make better decisions when we are fully informed and as Senior Vice-President I foster open communication and dedicate my efforts to ensure better outcomes for all our membership.

I believe the work we do as CEMA members is vital to our local community’s well-being. Nationally recognized for my work to improve local government with cross-systems initiatives, reduce tax-payer expense and improve services for residents, I’m an innovative, results-oriented professional with a strong background in comprehensive project management, mediation, program evaluation and training to effectively bridge government and community and dismantle silos. As CEMA Senior Vice-President I bring decades of experience in organizing to the table.

My long-standing commitment to community fuels my passions because I understand as a mother, a community leader, an employee, and an eternal optimist that the personal is political. It is truly an honor to continue serving as Senior Vice-President for CEMA.