Local educator Sherrie Collins has been named State President of the Tennessee State Organization of The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. Collins, a 34-year teacher with the Union County School System and current librarian at UCHS, is a member of Beta Pi chapter where she has held many positions, including three times as chapter president. She has been a member of DKG, a professional organization for women educators, for 26 years. At the state level, she has served as First-Vice President, Recording Secretary, and Corresponding Secretary, along with chairing various committees. In addition, she has served as Area II director, where she visited many chapters in the East Tennessee area. Collins most recently served as TNSO Webmaster and served in an ex officio position on the communications committee.

On the international level, Collins served on the membership committee from 2014-16. She is a graduate of the 2018 International Leadership Management Seminar in Austin, Texas, where she was one of 20 women who were chosen from across the membership to participate in a two-week seminar led by the business department.

Collins is a member of the Tennessee Association of School Librarians. She attends their conference in Murfreesboro each year to learn about the latest trends in libraries. As well as being a graduate of HMHS (Class of 1986), she has a Bachelor of Science in English Education, a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction, and has an Endorsement in School Media Specialist.

Collins stated, “As president, I will encourage our members to embrace inclusiveness, seek innovation in accomplishing our society’s purposes, and develop as stronger leaders. I want to empower all our members to make a difference in education.

“As we celebrate our traditions and the foundation of our Society, we will also look to the future: involving younger members in leadership roles, reaching out to student teachers, and supporting early career educators.”

This summer, Collins will travel to New Orleans to attend the State Officer Leadership Training and the International Conference. She hopes to learn more about the society and to develop further skills in leadership management.