Shirley M. Collado, Ph.D.

Dr. Shirley M. Collado is nationally recognized for her leadership in higher education, particularly for championing innovative strategies that increase student access and achievement. For more than 25 years, her leadership has focused on dismantling the barriers that exist between higher education and young people from under-resourced communities who want to be the first in their family to earn a bachelor's degree.  

Dr. Collado currently serves as President and CEO of College Track, the most comprehensive college completion program in the United States. Since joining the organization as president in January 2022, Dr. Shirley M. Collado has expanded College Track's reach nationally to 13 centers and led the redevelopment of its 10-year-long program to students.

She holds the distinction of President Emerita of Ithaca College, where she served as the College's ninth president, making history as its first president of color and the first Dominican-American to lead a four-year institution in the U.S. During her tenure from 2017 to 2021, Dr. Collado led the creation of the College's strategic plan, Ithaca Forever, and steered the College through the COVID-19 pandemic. Before joining Ithaca, she held various senior leadership roles at Rutgers University, Middlebury College and The Posse Foundation.

Alongside her role at College Track, Dr. Collado contributes her expertise to numerous boards, including IntermediaryEd (formerly ACT), the National Association for College Admission Counseling, Kids First Chicago, Excelencia in Education, and StarRez. She is a founding member of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and Trustee Emerita at Vanderbilt University following her trusteeship from 2014-2024.