Mike Collins, born in Danville, Virginia, grew up in Emporia and graduated from Greensville County High School.  He then attended Southside Virginia Community College, earning an Associate of Applied Science in Electronic Technology.

Upon graduating from SVCC, Mike obtained employment at IBM in Manassas as a Test Equipment Technician working on semiconductor tester systems.  After 31 years with IBM, he worked for Safran MorphoTrust for two years.  He is currently Senior Director of Project Management Enablement for Infor, a global software company, leading a team that provides training and certification for its project managers, a methodology for its consultants, and the systems used to deliver its projects.  

Mike also completed a Bachelor of Science from Rochester Institute of Technology.  He is married with four adult children.

He advises, "I would say to current students that your degree is the start of a journey that can go anywhere.  What I'm doing now is completely different from what I started out doing.  Don't get too locked up thinking that your decision on what to pursue in college is engraved in stone for your entire life.  It's just the starting point and foundation.  Pick a major that will help you get a good job doing something you enjoy and then buckle up for the ride.  SVCC was a great place for me to start my career and I cherish the memories I had there."