Carrie Collins, JD, PhD

Carrie Collins, JD, PhD, is a leadership strategist, author, and organizational change expert focused on helping leaders succeed in remote and hybrid work environments. Her REMOTE leadership framework provides practical guidance for building trust, aligning teams, and sustaining performance across distributed organizations.

Carrie is the founder and CEO of H.O.W. LLC, a consultancy committed to helping organizations thrive in times of change, turning ideas, input, and information into clear, actionable strategies.  She has been tapped by a wide variety of organizations across industries, including technology, professional services (law, human resources, finance, accounting), entertainment, non-profits, healthcare, medicine, education, and government, including the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab. Her approach is grounded in theory and academic rigor, honed from years of research and study.

Currently, Carrie is the Chief Advancement and Strategic Planning Officer at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM). She oversees an advancement team that has recorded record growth in total commitments and closed the largest amount in the College’s history—5 years in a row.  She is the primary architect of the PCOM 2025 and 2028 strategic plans and leads strategy and plan execution for the institution.

An accomplished author and presenter, Carrie has written two books, several articles, and given presentations to local, regional, national, and international audiences. Here is a brief sampling of her written work:

  • Collins, C., & Liggeons, N. (2021). Development metrics for small shops.  Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

  • Collins, C. (2020).  Assessing the impact of chief development officers’ leadership style on gift officers’ fundraising performance at US private higher education institutions. Journal of Education Advancement and Marketing, 5(1).

  • Collins, C. (2020).  How to do most of it: Secrets of a Highly Organized Woman.

  • Collins, C. (2019, October 1).  Fundraising:  Lead with gift officers in mind.  Academic Leader.

  • Collins, C. (2017, December 7). Health care:  Doing more with a customized approach.  Philadelphia Business Journal.

Carrie serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Education Advancement and Marketing and on the Board of Visitors at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.  She is also a founding member of Chief, a private network focused on supporting women leaders, with nearly 20,000 members across the United States.

Previously, Carrie was vice president of institutional advancement at University of the Sciences (now St. Joseph’s University), and she held multiple roles at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Carrie began her career as a transactional attorney with a practice focused on start-up companies and corporate governance.

Carrie’s academic credentials and certifications:

  • BA, University of Pittsburgh, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa

  • JD, University of Pittsburgh School of Law

  • MA, Duquesne University, Leadership and Liberal Studies

  • PhD, University of the Cumberlands, Leadership Studies

  • Fellow, College of Physicians of Philadelphia

  • Prosci® Certified Change Management Practitioner