Mary Collins

About Mary Collins

Mary grew up on a farm in Northern California and has called Montana home since 2011. She earned both her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies and Master of Social Work from the University of Montana. Mary has extensive experience in direct service, providing counseling, advocacy, and supportive services to children, adolescents, and adults. Her passion for systems-level change led her to serve in several leadership roles at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), where she focused on strengthening the state’s behavioral health system. Building on that work, Mary later joined the Center for Children, Families, and Workforce Development, where she dedicated her efforts to improving Montana’s early childhood systems. Driven by a desire to serve others—and informed by her own experience as the mother of a preemie—Mary is deeply motivated to create a more just, supportive world for Montana’s babies and families.

 

 

Sessions

• No Time to Heal: Cow Heavy and Floral, Perinatal Mental Health, and the Fight for Paid Family and Medical Leave in Montana
• Policy is Care: When Systems Fail—and How We Can Change Them