Jane Hess Collins is the founder of Get Out and Give Back, LLC, which inspires people to “Connect. Contribute. Create a Legacy.” through her writing, speaking and coaching. She currently writes about charity and philanthropy for Washington Life Magazine and I Am Modern, and created the “Get Out and Give Back” newspaper column that is found online (www.getoutandgiveback.com) and printed in local newspapers in Virginia, Maryland and Ohio. She also created and teaches a workshop that matches volunteer service to the client’s values, time and interest.
Jane created the “Get Out and Give Back” documentary television show to profile the joy experienced by people who give. The show has been accepted for national distribution on public television by American Public Television. She was selected as the commencement speaker for Bellefontaine Senior High School’s graduating class in June of 2009 and was one of three recipients of the school’s first “Distinguished Alumni” award.
Jane also hosts the “On the Go with AAUW (American Association of University Women” television show for Fairfax Public Access television in Fairfax County, VA, and is an accredited member of the International Coaching Federation.
Her personal service-oriented passions are international volunteer work with children and promoting community through games. She has traveled to Ecuador, Brazil, Peru and India with nonprofit organizations that offer international service vacations. She founded “Family Games Night,” a program that is registered at the Johns Hopkins Library, and has been implemented in cities throughout the United States.
Jane was born in Columbus, OH, and moved to Bellefontaine, OH, where she graduated from Bellefontaine Senior High School. She graduated cum laude from the University of Dayton with a bachelors’ degree in education and received a Master of Science in public administration from Troy State University then a Master of Science in strategic studies from Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base (AFB), Montgomery, AL.
Upon graduation from the University of Dayton, she was commissioned in the United States Air Force as a second lieutenant. She served at Lackland AFB, TX, Royal Air Force (RAF) Mildenhall, United Kingdom, and Kilauea Military Camp, Hawaii. She joined the Air Force Reserve and has since served in a number of assignments and locations throughout the world. She returned to active duty in November, 2003, when she was assigned to the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force Inspector General as an inquiry officer within the Senior Officials directorate. She retired at the rank of colonel on September 30, 2009, after 28 years of honorable service.
Jane and her husband Mike married in October, 2007, and live in Alexandria, VA. They have two married sons, Brandon (Sarah) and Patrick (Jenny), a granddaughter Annabelle and grandson Kaleb.
