New Ramsey County deputy
manager focused on economic growth

By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | April 2025

Collins joined the county in 2018 as community and economic development director, a position that had been dormant for 18 years. In that role, she spearheaded the creation of Ramsey County’s first economic competitiveness and inclusion plan, which received an Excellence in Equity Award from the International Economic Development Council in 2021. The County has since made economic competitiveness and inclusion a priority and employs 14 on its Community and Economic Development team.

“Through that plan, we learned a lot about Ramsey County in terms of its housing infrastructure,” said Collins. “For example, we learned that it was really missing deeply affordable housing at 30% of area median income, to the tune of 15,000 residential units…. We did a holistic look with great intentionality, ensuring we were really looking at reducing race-based disparities.”

She is also credited with reviving the county’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority, which had little programming beyond administering community block grants and a few federal programs.

“Since the activation of the HRA levy, we have been able to invest millions into wonderful affordable housing projects in partnership with our city partners and community,” she said.

One of the county’s biggest challenges, she said, is securing enough funding to act on strategic economic development priorities. She said the county hopes to get funding from the state legislature this year for a handful of projects, including the RiversEdge development overlooking the Mississippi River just west of the Wabasha Street Bridge. The proposed large-scale development features multifamily housing, business space and 9 acres of urban park space. She is excited about what this project means for the city and is optimistic that downtown St. Paul will continue to bounce back from the economic slump spurred by the pandemic.

“There’s this really great vision for the riverfront that is developing that I think will become a huge amenity and asset to our region and to our residents and visitors of St. Paul,” she said. “I see a tremendous amount of opportunity and I feel like downtown St. Paul is on the cusp of doing some great things and a really cool downtown renaissance…. there’s a lot of work underway to make sure downtown St. Paul gets the attention and love it deserves.”

Collins grew up in Ramsey County and has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Augsburg University and a master’s in urban studies from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Previous work experiences include zoning administrator for the city of Milwaukee and community development director for the city of Roseville. Last year, she was named to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal 40 Under 40, which recognizes the next generation of community leaders.

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