Dr. Jeffrey Collier is the Superintendent of Saginaw Intermediate School District in Saginaw, Michigan. Dr. Collier is an ambassador for education and a champion of student-centric, experiential, and progressive learning cultures. With over 25 years of professional education experience, he has honed his leadership styles as an instructional leader, ambassador for education, and community-wide communicator with previous employment in Michigan at Essexville-Hampton, Bay City, Tawas Area, and Au Gres-Sims School Districts. Collectively, those school districts represented student and community demographics of inner-city, suburban-affluence, and rural-poverty populations. These diverse experiences have allowed Dr. Collier to fuel his growth as a leader while expanding his professional network across the Lake Huron Great Lakes Bay Region, the State of Michigan, and nationally.
Dr. Collier earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in History from Michigan State University, holds two Master of Arts degrees from Saginaw Valley State University; the first in Educational Leadership (M.Ed.) and the second as an Education Specialist (Ed.S.), and completed his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree from Central Michigan University. Jeffrey maintains both secondary teacher and school administrator certifications. Dr. Collier is the recently named Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators (MASA) 2024 Superintendent of the Year, was the Michigan School Public Relations Association (MSPRA) 2021 Superintendent Communicator of the Year and was a finalist for the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators (MASA) 2020 Superintendent of the Year. He was also highlighted in the National Leaders Matter Spotlight by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) in 2019.
Dr. Collier is a status quo disruptor. He advocates thoughtful, innovative leadership designs that focus on breaking through barriers to build vibrant cultures of learning, partnership, and service with positive deviance. His single mission is to increase and advance positive opportunities and outcomes for as many children as possible. Dr. Collier accomplishes this by consistently molding strong organizational cultures established on foundational core tenets of resolute ethical standards, transitive empowering leadership skills, and transparent communication. He is a proven conceptual designer of scaled and sustainable creative programs and problem solutions. While amplifying a call to action for educators to celebrate and promote the amazing vibrancy of learning and schools, Jeffrey endorses his visionary concept and practice of district-wide collective authorship to positively and equitably enhance organizational culture and proactively advance collective efficacy in school systems. Within his titled “Our Story” ideation, based upon powerfully connecting effective communication, Dr. Collier provides challenging focused reflections for educators to increasingly realize that schools are informational storytelling content machines, and encourages leaders to harness the power of their district’s collective authorship to propel a dynamic, protagonistic narrative of education and leadership throughout their communities.
As a servant leader focused on community advocacy, Dr. Collier also serves on the Saginaw County Board of Public Health; is a member of the Board of Directors for the Saginaw Community Foundation; is an engaged member of Saginaw County’s Community Action Committee, Crime Prevention Council, and Community Health Outreach BWell Council; is a participative member of both Saginaw Valley State University’s External Advisory Board and Board of Fellows; is a member of the Hartley Outdoor Education Foundation Board; has been installed on SET SEG’s Foundation Board of Governance; serves on the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrator’s statewide Instructional Council; and is an original governing board member of Michigan’s Talent Together consortium.
Jeffrey is an avid outdoorsman and voracious reader; has a long history of involvement with his faith community and community service organizations; and is a champion of equity, dedicated to serve, innovate, and empower diverse constituencies. A proud husband of 23 years, Jeffrey is married to Yolanda who is a Spanish teacher, and father to two children, Gianna and Gabriel.
Past AASA Michigan Superintendent of the Year Winners:
2023 Michigan Superintendent of the Year: Monica Merritt
2022 Michigan Superintendent of the Year: Dania Bazzi
2021 Michigan Superintendent of the Year: Craig Carmoney
About the Award:
The Superintendent of the Year program, sponsored by First Student and AASA, pays tribute to the talent and vision of the men and women who lead the nation’s public schools.
State-level winners are selected on the following criteria:
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- Leadership for Learning
- Communication
- Professionalism
- Community Involvement