Carole Collins Alexander ’83 is quick to admit that attending Simmons wasn’t initially part of some carefully mapped-out plan.
A women’s college wasn’t what she had been looking for. But Simmons offered the communications program she wanted, a Boston campus she loved, and, critically, a financial aid package that made attending possible at a time when her family was taking a major financial risk.
Her father’s job as a school business manager had been eliminated as a result of Massachusetts’ Proposition 2 1/2, and her parents had invested their savings in a fledgling home-healthcare distribution company.
“Getting such a nice package from Simmons really made a big difference,” Alexander said.
What began as a practical decision soon became something much more.
“It was the best decision I ever made,” she said. “I got an amazing education, have lifelong friends. I could go to school in my sweatpants and stand up and speak.”
The confidence she gained at Simmons would stay with her throughout her career.
Finding Her Voice and Using It
Alexander arrived at Simmons accustomed to getting involved. She had been a team captain and class president in high school, and at Simmons, she felt encouraged to keep stepping forward.
“We could be leaders,” she recalled. “You just felt like you belonged. You could be whoever you wanted to be.”
That became clear when Alexander, a former high school field hockey player, realized how much she missed the sport.
At the time, Simmons did not have a field hockey team. Someone suggested she speak with the athletic director, who told her that if she could demonstrate enough student interest, Simmons would consider starting a club team.
Alexander gathered a petition and found roughly 20 students who wanted to play. By the following year, the team was practicing at the nearby The Winsor School and competing against other colleges around Boston.
The first season, she conceded, “We were kind of awful.” But they improved, and more importantly, they had created something that hadn’t existed before.
“If you want to do it, and you can show there are enough people to do it, they’ll support you,” Alexander said.
It was an early lesson in what could happen when she spoke up, brought others together, and acted on an idea. Alexander found that same emphasis on action in the classroom.
As a public relations and communications management major, she learned everything from writing to video production while gaining professional experience as an intern throughout Boston. She completed about six internships, including positions at Hood Milk and the nonprofit Wider Opportunities for Women.
She remembers putting on her business suits, walking through Kenmore Square, taking the T to internships, and feeling “like a grown-up.”
By graduation, Alexander already had a job.
“I had an experience that so many of my friends didn’t,” she said. “I think that’s a game changer for Simmons.”
Leading as Herself
Alexander spent the first half of her career in advertising, banking, and financial services, including approximately a decade at Fidelity Investments. Along the way, she learned an important lesson about the kind of leader she wanted to be.
Once, a boss told her she was “a golden retriever” when she needed to be “a German shepherd.” Alexander rejected the premise.
“I said, ‘I’m never going to be a German shepherd, but I can be the best golden retriever and be a great leader and know how to motivate people,’” she said.
She realized she didn’t have to become louder or tougher to be effective.
“You can build consensus and teamwork,” she said.
That approach has served Alexander particularly well at Collins Sports Medicine, the family business she joined in 2003.
The company grew out of the home-healthcare distribution business her parents started after her father’s job was eliminated. Her brother, an elite marathon runner, later saw an opportunity to begin selling athletic training supplies, and the sports-medicine division grew from there.
Today, Alexander leads Collins Sports Medicine with her two adult children, while her sister and her sister’s son-in-law run the original side of the family business, Collins Surgical. The company serves customers across all 50 states and internationally, from public schools and universities to professional sports organizations, including the Boston Celtics and New England Patriots.
But Alexander measures its success by more than its reach. She points to employees who have stayed for decades and a culture where people take ownership of their work.
“I’m really proud of our team,” she said. “Everyone feels empowered, and we’re all kind of working for the same goal.”
For a business competing against much larger corporations, she believes those relationships matter.
“What differentiates us is our people.”
Women Leading in Sports
The company also gives Alexander a front-row view of how sports have changed during her career. She has watched women move into athletic training and professional sports roles that once were largely closed to them.
“Now, you look on the fields, and there are women everywhere,” Alexander said. “There are head athletic trainers and women coaches.”
That progress is reflected in Simmons' own academic offerings, including its new Master of Science in Management with a concentration in Business and Leadership in Women’s Sports Management, which prepares students to pursue leadership opportunities in the sports industry.
For Alexander, there is something fitting about leading a woman-owned company after attending a university centered on women’s education and leadership.
“I went to a women’s college. I run a woman-owned company. My sister and I are partners,” she said. “It makes you feel good that you’re the real deal.”
A New Chapter for Simmons Athletics
While touring Simmons’ new Living and Learning Center, Alexander began talking with Alumnae/i Engagement staff about the building’s athletics facilities. Her attention naturally turned to the athletic training room.
Simmons Athletics has purchased supplies from Collins Sports Medicine since 2002, but the new facility offered Alexander an opportunity to become more directly involved. She and Collins Sports Medicine New England representative Ben Lunt, an experienced athletic trainer, worked with Simmons Athletics to provide recommendations on the room’s layout, equipment, and functionality. Simmons also purchased equipment for the new training room from Collins Sports Medicine.
“There is something very special about having a former field hockey student-athlete play a role in shaping the future of our athletic training facility,” said Erica Schuling '13MS, '18MEd, Simmons director of athletics. “Her perspective as both a former athlete and a leader in the sports medicine industry makes this partnership especially meaningful.”
The new athletic training room is part of Simmons’ broader investment in modern athletic, wellness, residential, and community spaces within the Living and Learning Center, bringing students together on a more connected One Simmons campus.
Alexander hasn’t yet seen the completed athletic training room, but she looks forward to seeing how the new facilities will serve future generations of Simmons student-athletes.