Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, served as the first female president of the combined institutions of Huston and Tillotson Colleges. After her retirement from HT she briefly served as President & CEO of Newfields, a cultural institution. Her higher education experience includes interim President at Pierce College in Puyallup, Washington, Vice President for Administration and CFO, Executive Assistant to the President, VP for Information Technology and Services for Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, and Dean of Information Technology for Pierce College District in Lakewood, Washington.
Colette combined her entrepreneurial spirit and technical knowledge to forge successful careers in engineering, information technology, and higher education. Before transitioning into higher education, Colette worked as a Computer Analyst at The Washington Post, an Operations Support Engineer at Proctor and Gamble, and Manager of Consulting and Project Management Services at the Washington State Department of Transportation in Olympia, Washington and ran her own computer consulting firm, CompuMent.
Colette is a strong proponent of HBCUs and civic and community engagement.
Colette’s servant leadership is evidenced in leadership positions such as co-chair of the Mayor of Austin’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities, Board Chair of Leadership Austin, and Treasurer of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas. She serves on numerous boards including Martin University, Council on Higher Education Accreditation, Indiana Black Expo, DISCO Law, Texas Methodist Foundation, and the Six Sigma Racial Equity Institute. Her many honors include being named Austinite of the Year, receiving the Ohio State University Outstanding Engineering Alumnus and Alumni of the Year Awards, Anti-Defamation League Community Hero Award, Urban Land Institute Visionary Award, iACT Hope Award, Austin Women’s Hall of Fame, Administrator of the Year (awarded by SGA), Distinguished Woman of the Year Award, and Diverse Issues in Higher Education’s Top 25 Women. Dr. Burnette is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc..
She received her high school diploma in Cleveland, Ohio, from John F. Kennedy High School, a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from The Ohio State University, and a Master of Science in Administration from Georgia College. She is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Management Development Program and received her Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.