MEET THE FOUNDER

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Sheila Collins earned a paralegal certification in immigration law 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 (UOP). She was studying at the University of Phoenix (UOP) to earn a master's degree in public administration and has several business, professional and academic credentials. 

Sheila's journey started 25 years ago in 1999, following a challenging divorce that left her living in an underprivileged public housing community. She was saddened by the social injustices she saw minority women experiencing there. However, it was also there that she realized her mission was to restore Black women and their families. That gave Ms. Collins the idea to start Girlfriends Who Inspire Change (GWIC) LLC,  later on in life.

The business model combines the social impact of a non-profit organization with a for-profit commercial model. Ms. Collins often paraphrases the statement, "People who saw a problem and transformed it into an opportunity create the most extraordinary success stories." She accomplished that in 2014 when she established Girlfriends Who Inspire Change (GWIC) LLC. 

One hundred eighty-nine countries are members of the World Bank Group. As a partner of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, GWIC became a recognized Civil Society Organization (CSO) in 2017. In 2019, as a global network partner, GWIC was accepted as a member and associate of the UN Women's Economic and Social Council.

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 was a Miss Black Universe Pageant judge in Las Vegas, Nevada, 2018. She contributed to and signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 under former U.S. President Obama (Obamacare). 2015, the Universal Peace Federation appointed her the United States Ambassador for World Peace.

She served on community boards, 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 "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 in Nevada include Jackie Rosen (D), Harry Reid (D), John Ensign (R), Jim Gibbons (R), John C. Porter (R), Susie Lee (D), and Steven Horsford (D).