MEET THE FOUNDER

Sheila Collins is a visionary social entrepreneur, global advocate, and founder of Girlfriends Who Inspire Change (GWIC), LLC, a cause-driven social enterprise network operating on a for-profit commercial model with a nonprofit social impact mission.

She holds a Paralegal Certification in Immigration and Construction Law from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), and a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Phoenix. She also pursued graduate studies in Public Administration and has earned several professional and academic credentials throughout her career.

More than 25 years ago, following a difficult divorce, Sheila faced one of the most challenging seasons of her life, living in a low-income public housing community while rebuilding from the ground up. During that time, she witnessed firsthand the economic biases and systemic barriers faced by women navigating financial hardship.

Rather than allowing adversity to define her, she allowed it to refine her purpose. That experience became the foundation for what would eventually become Girlfriends Who Inspire Change (GWIC) a platform built from scratch to create economic pathways, amplify women’s voices, and build sustainable opportunity ecosystems.

As Sheila often says:“People who see a problem and transform it into an opportunity create the most extraordinary success stories.” She has lived that belief.

Founded in 2014 and legally incorporated in 2017, GWIC is a social enterprise e-commerce marketplace and empowerment network designed to combat economic inequality and promote financial independence through strategic partnerships, education, and global collaboration.

Since 2017, GWIC has been recognized as a Civil Society Organization (CSO) by the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The World Bank Group, a global partnership of 189 member countries, works to reduce poverty and support sustainable economic development worldwide.

In 2023, the World Bank Group and the U.S. Commercial Service selected GWIC for participation in the Minority Business Outreach Initiative.

In 2019, GWIC was accepted into the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) network through UN Women as a member, friend, and global network partner. ECOSOC coordinates international economic and social policy efforts, including gender equality and women’s empowerment initiatives.

Sheila has long been an advocate for civic engagement and social change.

In 2019, she moderated the first Democratic Presidential Town Hall with Andrew Yang during the Humanity Tour in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In 2018, she played an active role in the International Women’s March “Power to the Polls” event in Las Vegas, contributing to the historic “Women’s Wave” midterm elections that resulted in the first-ever election of 100 women to the U.S. House of Representatives.

That same year, she served as a judge for the Miss Black Universe Pageant in Las Vegas.

Under former President Barack Obama, Sheila co-signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. In 2015, she was designated a United States Ambassador for World Peace by the Universal Peace Federation.

Sheila’s community involvement spans decades. She has served on numerous boards and advisory bodies, including:

• Children’s Advocacy Alliance
   
• Nevadans United for Early Childhood Equity (NU-ECE)
   
• City of Las Vegas Historic Preservation Commission
   
• National Action Network (Las Vegas Chapter)
   
• Clark County Early Voting
   
• Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (Bolden Area Command) Citizen Advisory
   
• NAACP
   
• Doolittle Community Baseball League Inc.
   
• City of Las Vegas Housing Authority (Resident Chairwoman)
   
• Coalition of Clark County Nevad
• She is also a proud AmeriCorps alumna.

Sheila Collins has received numerous awards and recognitions for her leadership and service, including:

• NAACP Las Vegas Chapter – Community Service Award
   
• SheaMoisture “Power Players of Las Vegas” (2018)
   
• International Business Forum of Las Vegas – Humanitarian Award
   
• The Voice of Power Recognition
   
• Citigroup Community Recognition
   
• Las Vegas Black Image Honors
   
• Greater New Jerusalem (GNJ) Achievement Award
   
• Sunrise Children Foundation Recognition
   
• Urban Chamber of Commerce – Women in Business & Politics Award
   

She has also received official U.S. Senate and Congressional Recognitions from elected officials across Nevada, including:

• Senator Jackie Rosen
   
• Senator Harry Reid
   
• Senator John Ensign
   
• Governor Jim Gibbons
   
• Congressman John C. Porter
   
• Congresswoman Susie Lee
   
• Congressman Steven Horsford
   

Today, Sheila Collins continues to lead GWIC with a bold vision: building economic ecosystems that empower women to move from survival to sustainability, from consumer to owner, and from limitation to legacy.

Her journey, from public housing to global advocacy, stands as a testament to resilience, strategic leadership, and the power of turning personal trials into collective transformation.