Board Spotlight: Meet Artie N. Collins

Artie Nicholson Collins Board Member, ASPIRE Community Capital Community Development Banking Consultant, PNC Bank

Artie N. Collins served as the Vice-President – Community Development Consultant for PNC Bank until her retirement on May 22, 2017. Ms. Collins is a native of North Carolina and had been with the bank since 1998. Before relocating in 2012 from Northern New Jersey to Charlotte, Ms. Collins had established a reputation in the banking industry as one of the leading executives in the northeast region. Her new territory included Western Carolina and South Carolina. She rose to attain distinction among her peers with a proven record of career achievement, underscored with extensive years of experience in operations management, sales, marketing and community development activities.

During her exceptional career, Ms. Collins developed expertise in several disciplines including: community development, new product introduction, strategic planning to increase earnings/market share; compensation, incentives and performance evaluations; setting sales goals; event sponsorship; budgeting and forecasting and sales/service training and development.

Her responsibilities included: strengthening customer relationships through calling efforts on existing and prospective non-profits clients. While reviewing community partnerships she was responsible for identifying opportunities for community development loans, affordable housing, economic development, neighborhood revitalization/stabilization, community/social services, and investments. She was also responsible for the Western Carolinas Charitable Sponsorship and PNC Foundation community development budgets.

Ms. Collins quickly acclimated herself to the needs of the community and through her professional ties and commitment to volunteering, quickly partnered numerous community groups to ensure that PNC branches were aligned where needed most to make a difference. This resulted in branches in Low to Moderate Assessment Areas providing financial education classes. She also works with faith-based organizations, emerging community-based organizations and community development corporations providing strategic planning and implementation guidance needed to achieve their mission and vision.

Ms. Collins has been a long-time advocate of transforming lives and communities through voter rights and access to education. She has served as a trustee on numerous boards and as a member of several service organizations. In addition to pounding the pavement to get citizens registered to vote, Ms. Collins has served as a member of the boards for the following organizations: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Charlotte, NC; the Asset Building Coalition of Forsyth County, Charlotte Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, Reading Partners Charlotte and Habitat Charlotte. She is currently a member of the of the Charlotte Habitat for Humanity Home Selection Committee and Habitat for Humanity Home Services Committee, Little Rock A.M.E. Zion Church, Little Rock Community Development Corporation and volunteers with the Little Rock AME Heaven’s Store clothing ministry and the Little Rock Economic Development Committee. Additionally, she is a board member and chair of the Nominating Committee of Aspire Community Capital was appointed in 2022 by Governor Roy Cooper to serve on the North Carolina Financial Literacy Council.

Ms. Collins is no stranger to hard work and her efforts have been recognized by the Montclair/North Essex YWCA where she was inducted into the first class of “50 Women You Should Know.” She is also a 2008 Newark, New Jersey Leadership Fellow.

Educated at Kean University, Union, New Jersey, Ms. Collins earned a Faith-based Non-Profit Certification and a Business Management Certification from Upsala College, East Orange, New Jersey. She also earned certifications from Adelphi University, New York, in Sales and Marketing. She is the mother of one daughter, Christine Theresa Collins and a granddaughter

Phoenix Naledi’ May Collins. When she is not spending time with her family, Ms. Collins enjoys cooking, golf, line dancing and traveling. She is humbled by the recognition, The Maya Angelou Women Who Lead Award 2015, received from the United Negro College Fund.

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