LaDonna Collins has worn many hats throughout her professional career, ranging from a public health educator at the teen center, an SEBD teacher, to an emergency preparedness training coordinator. Currently, she serves as the Child and Family Well-being Director with Georgia CASA. In this role, she’ll be supporting all Georgia CASA organizations in advancing their initiatives and programs, serving as a repository for contacts and connections, all while helping to strengthen families and enhance the well-being of children across the state. It's clear she is passionate about helping others in every way she can.
In addition to her role at CASA, LaDonna is also a life coach for teenagers currently on probation. For years, she has been deeply involved in the community. As the Executive Director for the Commission on Children and Youth for six years, she collaborated with community partners and matched resources to meet the needs of underserved families in Rome and Floyd County.
LaDonna thrives at vocalizing the needs of the community and demonstrating how those needs impact people’s lives. She says, “When you have the contacts, the will, and the financial resources that you need, life is wonderful. But two people can share the same experience, and the outcome will be different. The resource is what makes the difference in somebody’s outcome.” This realization led her to understand that people with fewer resources are all around us. She believes it's our duty to lend a hand and use our resources to help those in need. LaDonna also shares, "If there is something going on in your community that 'icks' you the most, that’s the problem you’re called to solve." She encourages others to find someone to solve that "ick" with and get to work. "Change starts with each one of us," she says.
LaDonna's strategy for overcoming challenges is finding work-life balance. She emphasizes the importance of not making one's position their entire identity. "We often wear our titles as a badge of honor," she says. "Setting boundaries in every area of your life is so important. That starts with setting hard boundaries with yourself,” says LaDonna. Her advice to women starting their careers is to "be true to you from the beginning." She explains, "Who you are today will not be the same six months from now. We are always evolving, even if it isn’t intentional, evolution is happening. Listen to the truest form of you that will never lie, and that’s your intuition."
LaDonna empowers other women in the community by being true to herself. "I am me!" she proudly declares. She knows how to have fun, foster relationships, and get things done. She emphasizes that the people in our community need us. "In the end, we are all people with a purpose. Learn to love yourself for who YOU are!"
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