Deborah Elaine Collins, Esq.

Deborah Elaine Collins is the Small Business Development and Economic Opportunity Officer for Essex County, New Jersey. Formerly the Chairperson of the Essex County Disparity Study Commission which analyzed the County's contracting and procurement processes, she is responsible for the implementation of a Plan of Action flowing from the Study's results and recommendations. Essex County is the first and only County in the State of New Jersey to conduct and complete a disparity study.

An Employment lawyer by background and training, Ms. Collins worked on Wall Street for ten years prior to assuming her current role. A former litigator, she spent several years in private practice and in the General Counsel's office of the New York City Transit Authority where she specialized in the defense of employment discrimination cases. It was there where she served a stint as Deputy Assistant Vice President of Affirmative Action and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Programs. In addition, she was the first Special Counsel to the Chief of Transit Police.

Ms. Collins has extensive experience in the areas of affirmative action, diversity, and employment discrimination, and human resources in both the public and private sectors.

Prior to entering the legal profession, Deborah Collins taught Spanish and Spanish Literature at colleges and universities throughout the tri-state area.

She is a native of Brooklyn, New York and currently resides in Essex County.