Jennifer M. Collins (born 1965) is an American

legal scholar Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the a ...

serving as the 21st President of

Rhodes College Rhodes College is a private liberal arts college in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), it is a member of the Associated Colleges of the South and is accredited by the Southern Associa ...

. Collins was previously the dean of the

Dedman School of Law SMU Dedman School of Law, commonly referred to as SMU Law School or Dedman School of Law, is a law school located in Dallas, Texas. Jason P. Nance serves as its current dean. Founded in February 1925, the school located is on the Southern Meth ...

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

Early life and education

Collins graduated ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'' with a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in history from Yale University in 1987. She then enrolled at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

, graduating ''

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'' with a J.D. in 1991. At Harvard, she was a notes editor for the ''Harvard Law Review'', working under fellow student and law review president

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

. After graduating from Harvard, Collins clerked for the Honorable

Dorothy Wright Nelson Dorothy Wright Nelson (born September 30, 1928) is a Senior status, senior United States federal judge, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Education and career Born in San Pedro, California, ...

in the

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts for the following federal judicial districts: * District ...

Legal career

After finishing her clerkship, Collins worked in private practice in Washington D.C. In 1993, she accepted a position as an attorney-adviser for the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

Office of Legal Counsel The Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) is an office in the United States Department of Justice that supports the attorney general in their role as legal adviser to the president and all executive branch agencies. It drafts legal opinions of the atto ...

. A year later, she joined the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia as an

Assistant United States Attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gov ...

(AUSA). In this role, she tried more than 30 criminal cases, many of them homicides. Two of her cases garnered major media attention. One involved Aundrey Burno, a teenager and convicted murderer who, before sentencing, told an

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

documentary crew that "I would kill again if I have to." Collins used Burno's words to persuade the judge to grant a 70-year sentence. In the other high-profile case, Collins successfully prosecuted serial killer Joseph Mesa Jr. She remained at the United States Attorney's Office until 2002, returning briefly to private practice at

Sidley Austin Sidley Austin LLP is an American multinational corporation, multinational law firm with approximately 2,300 lawyers in 21 offices worldwide. It was established in 1866 and its headquarters is at One South Dearborn in Chicago's Chicago Loop, Loo ...

before transitioning to academia.

Academic career

Collins joined the faculty at Wake Forest School of Law in 2003 to teach criminal law, criminal procedure, family law, and gender and law. In 2010, she joined university administration as associate provost for academic and strategic initiatives. She was promoted to vice provost in 2013. In this capacity, she launched Wake Forest's LGBTQ+ Center and Women's Center. In 2014, Collins left

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...

to become Dean of the

. Collins was the first permanent female dean of SMU's law school. Upon her departure in 2022, she was praised for improving the academic quality and diversity of the law school's students. Collins was named the 21st President of Rhodes College in December 2021 and formally began her tenure in July 2022.

Personal life

Collins is married to Adam Charnes, an appellate attorney. They have three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Jennifer Living people 1965 births 20th-century American women lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers American legal scholars Assistant United States attorneys Rhodes College faculty Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Yale University alumni Harvard Law School alumni Southern Methodist University faculty Wake Forest University faculty