Statement from the MC President: Appointment of Senior Vice President for Administrative and Fiscal Services

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Sherwin Collette as the next senior vice president for administrative and fiscal services. Mr. Collette will replace Ms. Donna Schena, who is retiring at the end of next month. His first day at the College will be Monday, June 7.

Mr. Collette formerly served as the associate superintendent for the office of employee engagement and labor relations at Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). In this role, he has directed labor relations management and contract administration and served as the system’s chief negotiator with three bargaining units. Prior to this role, he led the information technology office of MCPS for 10 years as the chief technology officer. Among other accomplishments in this role, Mr. Collette drove the design of the district’s digital conversion through the Creating 21st Century Learning Spaces Initiative, a strategic technology plan that led to creation of the district’s student learning portal, myMCPS, and digital learning infrastructure. He also created professional learning opportunities for teachers and administrators districtwide to cultivate the technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge required to create innovative learning environments aligned with district’s strategic teaching and learning goals.

Mr. Collette stated, “I’m honored and thrilled to be joining Montgomery College as the next senior vice president for administrative and fiscal services, and look forward to contributing to MC’s tradition of shepherding resources to advance educational access and quality for students.”

Joining MCPS in 2001, Mr. Collette began his service there as the assistant to the associate superintendent for the Office of Global Access Technology and then served as the executive director to the deputy superintendent for information and organizational systems. Prior to joining MCPS, Mr. Collette was a staff manager and liaison for the Montgomery County Council’s Interagency Technology Policy and Coordination Committee.

Mr. Collette added that, “This opportunity allows me to extend my deep belief in the power of education to change lives to the higher education arena. Given my respect for everyone at Montgomery County Public Schools, I hope to deepen the already strong relationships between MC and MCPS. I am profoundly grateful to Montgomery County Public Schools and the Board of Education for having me as a member of the MCPS leadership team for 20 years.”

The administrative and fiscal services division of the College includes the “backbone” functions of the College: the Offices of Business Services; Facilities; Human Resources and Strategic Talent Management (HRSTM); Information Technology; and Public Safety and Emergency Management. Mr. Collette brings a range of experiences that will serve him well in leading these key units, all of which have played critical roles during the pandemic and will continue to be seminal as the College plans a return to campuses.

Mr. Collette holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in mathematics education from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). He is completing his Ph.D. in mathematics education, also at UMCP.

I want to thank Dr. Stephen Cain, chief of staff/chief strategy officer, who led the search process and chaired the search advisory committee. I also thank the members of the committee for sharing their time and efforts on this project.

Please join me in congratulating and welcoming Sherwin Collette to this role.