President & CEO, College Track
President Emerita, Ithaca College
Trustee Emerita, Vanderbilt University
Shirley M. Collado, Ph.D.
President & CEO, College Track
President Emerita, Ithaca College
Trustee Emerita, Vanderbilt University
Dr. Shirley M. Collado is a national higher-education leader who serves her communities as a trustee on many boards, and through advisorships and honorary positions. A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Collado serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of College Track, the most comprehensive college completion program in the nation. Prior to joining College Track in 2022, Dr. Collado was the ninth president of Ithaca College from 2017 to 2021, and was named President Emerita of the college in 2022.
About Dr. Collado
Throughout her 30-year career, Dr. Collado has consistently leveraged her various leadership positions in higher education to champion equity, dismantle barriers, and democratize potential among first-generation college students.
As President and CEO of College Track, Dr. Collado leads the most comprehensive college completion program in the United States, which provides a decade-long program to more than 4,800 high school and college students in 13 communities and on college campuses in nearly every state. College Track's 1,800 alumni can be found in a range of graduate programs and professional fields, from STEM to the arts to public policy to finance. Under her leadership, College Track has expanded its reach nationally with new centers and cross-sector partnerships and has refocused its 10-year program to adapt to the current landscape of American education.
Prior to her leadership at Ithaca College, she created several programs and initiatives in the nonprofit and higher education sectors focused on full participation for students and academics from all walks of life.
Shirley's Mission
From first-generation college graduate to president of the country's most comprehensive college completion program, Dr. Collado's own journey still guides her work today.
Breaking Barriers
An advocate for students from under-represented communities, Dr. Collado has consistently broken barriers in her own life and career. Born in Brooklyn, New York, as the second-generation daughter of Dominican parents, Dr. Collado became the first in her family to attend college, enrolling at Vanderbilt University in 1989 as part of the inaugural cohort of Posse Scholars. She went on to graduate with a bachelor's degree in 1994, and earned a master's and Ph.D. from Duke University.
At Ithaca College, she became the first Dominican-American president of a four-year institution. She has the distinction of being the first Posse scholar to earn a doctorate and the first to serve as a board member for a college or university.
Dr. Collado's journey continues to guide her mission to advance opportunity for all through the power of higher education, reinforcing her deep belief that a bachelor's degree is the most powerful driver for greater social, economic, and professional mobility.
National Leadership Roles
Among her executive roles, Dr. Collado serves on the boards of multiple organizations and charities.
Trustee and Board Service
Trustee Emerita, Vanderbilt University (2024–present)
IntermediaryEd (2022–present)
Kids First Chicago (2022–present)
National Association for College Admission Counseling (2024–present)
StarRez (2022–present)
Fellowships
Carnegie Foundation (2022–present)
Advisorships & Honorary Positions
Advisor, The Flight School (2024–present)
Honorary Chair, The Mariposa Foundation (2023–present)
Honorary doctorate from Lycoming College (2025)
News & Media
Latest news & media from Dr. Collado:
articles, media appearances and interviews.
Contact Dr. Collado
For media enquiries and speaking opportunities, please contact Dr. Collado below.
Dr. Collado (left) moderates a panel discussion at the National Association for College Admission Counseling conference in 2025 with panelists (from left) Barbara Altmann, former president of Franklin & Marshall College; Joanne Berger-Sweeney, former president of Trinity College; and Ruth Watkins, former president of the University of Utah.