Michelle Collins is The Foundation’s Fundholder and Community Engagement Administrator, who joined the Grants team in 2017. In her role, Michelle is responsible for liaising with Fundholders to help with their Fund statements and online portal needs and working with charities, organizations and user groups on their online grants and education awards needs. Michelle also oversees, or as she likes to say “babysits,” The Foundation’s database.
Born and raised in Peterborough, Michelle attended Trent University where she majored in Sociology and Cultural Studies. Following university, she attended Sheridan College where she graduated with a diploma in Print Journalism. (Back in the days when people still read physical newspapers!)
After graduating, Michelle worked for a variety of non-profits including Ronald McDonald House Charities, the Stephen Lewis Foundation and Ovarian Cancer Canada. As for why she ended up in the nonprofit sector in database management, Michelle says, “I found the field to be an excellent fit with my educational background. I started out at my first position in Communications and then an opportunity came up to work with databases. I accepted the new challenge and found that data management was the place for me.”
After spending much of her career working for larger organizations, Michelle found her way to The Foundation. “For many years I hopped on the GO Train into Toronto to work for national and international organizations. It wasn’t until I joined the Foundation that I gained a deeper appreciation of the needs and interests of the residents in my own town.”
For future career plans, Michelle earned an Accounting Certificate a few years ago, and she is open to exploring this field further in the future. She also said she would consider telling her younger self to become a librarian.
Michelle currently resides in Oakville with her husband, Bob. Outside of the office, you can find Michelle traveling to see family. When she’s not with family, Bob and Michelle like to take road trips around South Western Ontario discovering new spots or visiting tried and true locales. You can also find Michelle at the movie theater looking for another title to add to her long list of favourites.
Michelle claims her favourite movie is forever changing; one day it could be Hitchcock’s classic thriller Rebecca and the next it’s the comedy, Best In Show. Her favourite television series is Mad Men.
Michelle loves to laugh, talk about movies and tell stories. She is also the designated lunchtime person, letting everyone in the office know when it’s time to join her at the lunch table. We hope you have the chance to chat with Michelle about movies or the best local spots very soon!
