IAOTP names Dr. Channing L. Collins its 2026 Empowered Woman of the Year

The International Association of Top Professionals will honor Dr. Channing L. Collins at its annual awards gala at the Plaza Hotel in New York City in December 2026. The recognition spotlights her child welfare leadership, scholarship, and personal resilience.

Why it matters: - IAOTP’s Empowered Woman of the Year honor highlights women whose careers combine professional achievement with leadership and community impact. - For Dr. Channing L. Collins, the award also recognizes resilience after adversity and the ability to turn personal setbacks into systems-focused work. - The honor adds to her 2026 recognition as IAOTP’s Top Child Welfare Change Maker of the Year.

What happened: - IAOTP selected Dr. Channing L. Collins, PhD, MDR, MLS, as its 2026 Empowered Woman of the Year. - IAOTP will honor Collins at its Annual Awards Gala in December 2026 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. - Collins also is being considered for a feature in TIP (Top Industry Professionals) Magazine. - IAOTP announced the selection on Sept. 15, 2026.

The details: - Collins has more than a decade of experience across frontline practice, executive leadership, mediation, policy analysis, implementation strategy and organizational transformation. - Her work centers on child welfare scholarship, systems reform and policy design. - Collins founded The Collins Institute for Child & Family Systems and serves as its Founder and Lead Architect. - The institute focuses on evidence-informed approaches meant to improve decision-making, accountability, workforce stability, family preservation and sustainable systems reform. - Its initiatives include the Elizabeth Ophelia Child & Family Governance Framework, the 12-Point Child Welfare Reform Framework, the Collins Imminent Harm Standard and the Family Systems Innovation Lab. - Collins describes the institute’s approach as Define. Design. Deliver., moving from identifying problems to implementing solutions. - Before founding the institute, Collins held leadership roles in public and nonprofit child welfare sectors. - She earned a PhD in Criminal Justice with a specialization in Law and Public Policy from Walden University. - She holds a Master of Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University. - Collins is completing a Master of Legal Studies at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. - Her research covers child welfare governance, implementation science, racial disparities, legal decision-making and public policy. - Her work has appeared in the Journal of Public Child Welfare and been featured in Youth Today, The Imprint and Children’s Voice.

Between the lines: - The award frames Collins not just as a policy expert, but as a leader whose story includes rebuilding after uncertainty. - Collins says empowerment means owning accomplishments without apology and refusing to become smaller to make others comfortable. - IAOTP President Stephanie Cirami said the recognition reflects both Collins’ professional achievements and the resilience behind them. - The honor also fits IAOTP’s broader model of selective, invitation-based recognition aimed at elevating accomplished professionals.

What's next: - Collins will be honored at IAOTP’s gala in New York City this December. - IAOTP says she may be featured in TIP Magazine. - Collins says she will keep advancing systems change through scholarship, entrepreneurship, policy and implementation. - Collins hopes her journey encourages other women to claim their accomplishments, create space when none is offered and treat resilience as the basis for what comes next.

The bottom line: - IAOTP is using this award to recognize both Collins’ child welfare leadership and the personal resilience that shaped her work. - More information: the Collins Institute