Jennifer Riley Collins

Ms. Riley Collins is the Principal Owner and Consultant at J Riley Collins Consulting, LLC. Applying over 20 years of experiential expertise she provides administrative, operational, and programmatic support to private, public, and non-profit organizations.

She is a 1987 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Alcorn State University. In 1993, she earned her Masters of Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Central Texas in one year while serving on Active Duty as a primary staff officer. In 1997, she returned to Mississippi after receiving a merit-based scholarship and in 1999 received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Mississippi College School of Law, graduating a full semester ahead of her classmates. She has completed 12 hours toward a Master of International Relations. Jennifer has also been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Alcorn State University and the Mississippi Institute of Higher Learning.

Jennifer is an attorney licensed to practice in both state and federal courts. Her legal career has primarily focused on ensuring the constitutional rights and civil liberties of all persons are protected. Because of her passion, she was the dedicated former Executive Director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi, a Senior Attorney with Southern Poverty Law Center, and the Juvenile Justice Fellow at Mississippi Center for Justice. Jennifer has also been an active trial litigator focused on Medical Malpractice and Pharmaceutical Litigation.

Jennifer retired from the United States Army in June 2017 as a Colonel after 32 years of distinguished service as a Military Intelligence Officer. She served a total of 14 years on active duty and 18 years as a member of the U. S National Guard and U. S. Army Reserves. Her duties include deployment to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as stateside deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Her last assignment was Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for the Army Manpower and Reserve Affairs responsible for Army Protection and Insider Threat Mitigation at the Pentagon. In this role, she conducted an assessment of the Army’s Military Accessions Vital to National Interest pilot and made recommendations that informed the Department of Defense decisions about the continuation of the program. Other field officer positions include Battalion Commander of Detachment 8, Strategic Intelligence Command at the Naval Air Station in Fort Worth where she provided support to the Defense Intelligence Agency; Command Inspector General of Power Projection Platform Camp Shelby, and Brigade Intelligence and Security Officer for the 177th Armored Brigade.

Jennifer currently is a member of the faculty and staff of Alcorn State University. She is the Pre-Law Seminar Instructor and teaches courses related to a career in public policy, government and politics.