MEET THE FOUNDER

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Sheila Collins graduated from the University of Phoenix with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice Administration, a Paralegal in Immigration law and Construction law from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), and numerous business and academic qualifications.

Ms. Collins appreciates the importance of encouraging others. She frequently quotes, "People who saw a problem and transformed it into an opportunity create the most extraordinary success stories." And that's what she did when she established Girlfriends Who Inspire Change (GWIC) LLC in 2014.

The World Bank is an international organization with 189 member countries. In 2017 GWIC became an accredited Civil Society Organization (CSO) with the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund as its partner. The Commission on Women's Status of the United Nations (UNWomen) Economic and Social Council welcomed GWIC as a member and affiliate in 2019.

Ms. Collins, an advocate of change, moderated the first-ever Democratic Presidential Town Hall with Andrew Yang during the Humanity Tour in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2019. She had a crucial part in the International Women's March "Power to the Polls" event that was organized in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2018, which had an impact on the "Women's Wave" 2018 midterm elections and contributed to the first-ever election of 100 women to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Ms. Collins served as a judge at the Miss Black Universe Pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2018. She contributed to and signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 under former U.S. President Obama (Obamacare). In 2015, the Universal Peace Federation named her the United States ambassador for world peace.

She served on the City of Las Vegas Historic Preservation Commission, the National Action Network (NAN) Las Vegas Chapter, the Clark County Nevada Early Voting, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (Bolden Area Command) Community Advisory, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Doolittle Community Baseball League, Inc., the City of Las Vegas Housing Authority, and the Coalition of Clark County Nevada. She is an AmeriCorps alumnus.

Among Ms. Collins' honors are the "Community Service Award" from the NAACP Las Vegas Chapter and the Shea Moisture Company's "Power Players" of Las Vegas in 2018. International Chamber of Commerce Nevada Humanitarian Award, The Voice of Power, Citigroup, Las Vegas Black Image Honors, The Greater New Jerusalem (GNJ) Achievement, Sunrise Children Foundation, and The Urban Chamber of Commerce's "Women in Business and Politics." 

U.S. Senate and Congressional recognitions include Jackie Rosen (D), Harry Reid (D), John Ensign (R), Jim Gibbons (R), John C. Porter (R), Susie Lee (D), and Steven Horsford (D).