---

---

A native of Pittsburgh, Colette began her studies in voice and piano at Duquesne University at the age of seven. She continued her studies in operatic performance at Carnegie-Mellon where she joined Scotch’n’Soda (the school’s original musical writing club). She received her BM in Operatic Performance from Duquesne University and also attended Yale, Columbia Universities, Stony Brook Southampton where she continued to study composition, play writing and Education of the Arts. While at Columbia, she was selected to serve as National Program Secretary for the National Center on Education and Employment, a think tank which addressed various issue facing distressed communities around the nation. Upon returning to Pennsylvania, she served as a Research Analyst for the Senate of Pennsylvania for the Committees on Banking and Insurance, Communications and High technology and for issues pertaining to finance and technology.

She later earned a MA in American Studies for her work as National Coordinator for the Alumni of Civilian Conservation Corps, collecting their personal histories and cultural evidence for The Shenandoah National Park at Penn State University. The work also provided historical information on the creation of the national infrastructure and environmental restoration.

Even though she worked at the Senate during the day, she created The WIREWorks’ highly integrated and innovative curriculum, which taught local students various aspected of the arts and technology. As a result of the workshop, it was suggested that she possibly teach Gifted Education. Not only did she begin pilot projects for her arts/technology program in East Pennsboro and Hershey High Schools, but a memory program—which teaches students mnemonic techniques and focus. Her teams have been featured on the OWN, CNN and HBO networks and eventually the front page of the New York Times. Because memory competition and training was at the genesis of being introduced in schools, her high school teams and individual students had to compete—and won--against corporate and military memory consultants, members of the Navy Seals and the University of Pennsylvania.

Colette is a professionally commissioned composer/playwright who has had works performed in New York and around the country. Her students have continued onto Broadway, Hollywood and have been Tony Award winners.

For her work in government, the arts, community service and education, She received The John Kuehl Fellowship (The International F. Scott Fitzgerald Society), The Penn State Humanities Award, Profiles in Excellence Award and a national Lin Wright Professional Teaching Grant for Excellence in Education of the Arts (for the WIREWorks Arts/Technology Curriculum design).

She is a member of The Dramatists Guild of America, ASCAP and The Pennsylvania Association of Gifted Education. At the present time, she is a teacher at Reach Connections Academy where she heads the Gifted & Enrichment program.