Deputy City Manager Debra R. Collins

Debra R. Collins is the Deputy City Manager responsible for the oversight of Public Safety Agencies and the Department of Community and Human Services. She is the City Liaison to the Health Department, Commonwealth's Attorney, Court Service Unit, and the Sheriff's Office. She is also responsible for all City grant funding to nonprofits and functions as the City's lead staff to the Alexandria City Public Schools. Collins previously was the Director of Human Services for the City of Alexandria.
Page updated on January 30, 2022 at 1:39 PM
Debra Collins photo

Debra R. Collins is the Deputy City Manager responsible for the oversight of Public Safety Agencies and the Department of Community and Human Services. She is the City Liaison to the Health Department, Commonwealth's Attorney, Court Service Unit, and the Sheriff's Office. She is also responsible for all City grant funding to nonprofits and functions as the City's lead staff to the Alexandria City Public Schools. Collins previously was the Director of Human Services for the City of Alexandria.

Prior to joining the City, Collins served eight years as Second Deputy Commissioner for the Erie County Department of Social Services in Buffalo, New York. Her other professional experience is in the non-profit sector in the areas of at-risk youth services, homeless re-housing assistance and with the YWCA as director of transitional housing for victims of domestic violence and substance abusers.

Collin's significant accomplishments include consolidating the Departments of Human Services, Mental Health/Mental Retardation/Substance Abuse and the Office on Women into the Department of Community and Human Services, reconstitution of the City Schools Staff Group. In partnership with ACT- creation of the Center for Alexandria's Children (Alexandria's child advocacy center), creation of the Alexandria Council of Human Service Organizations, and creation of Spring for Alexandria.

Collins has an undergraduate degree from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York and a graduate degree from Buffalo State College. Collins is a member of the 2007 Class of Leadership Greater Washington and a 2007 Alumnus of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program.

She is currently Secretary of the Board for ACT for Alexandria, Advisory Council Co- Chair for the Center for Alexandria's Children, Chair of the Northern Virginia Human Service Officials Committee of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), and a member of the National League of Cities Human Development Committee. Collins is also a member of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators and the International City/County Managers Association (ICMA), and has received awards from Allies in Prevention, Business First 40 Under Forty, Business and Professional Women's NYS Young Careerist and the National Association of Counties (NACo).