Amy is an accomplished communications expert with deep roots in the Gulf South region. As chief executive officer, Amy leads a multi-talented team at Gambel Communications to provide integrated marketing and public relations services to clients across a myriad of industries.
Amy graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and from Louisiana State University’s Manship School with a Master in Mass Communication. She is certified in crisis communications by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), and she has served as adjunct faculty at Loyola and Tulane University.
In addition to her role at Gambel, Amy and her husband, Sherwood Collins, created the Tres Doux Foundation and Beignet Fest in 2016. Through their journey with their son, Liam, who is on the autism spectrum, the couple recognized a need to create awareness and funding for programs to serve children with developmental differences in Greater New Orleans. As a result of Amy and Sherwood’s efforts, Beignet Fest has become a signature festival in the South, raising tens of thousands of dollars to support local advocacy, education and enrichment programs serving special needs children.
Amy has been honored as a YLC Role Model and CityBusiness Woman of the Year, plus she’s been included on the People to Watch and Top Female Achiever lists by New Orleans Magazine. She was an inaugural fellow of the Norman C. Francis Leadership Institute at Xavier University. She’s also been through the Institute of Politics, New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute (NORLI) and New Orleans Business Alliance’s Economic Development Ambassadors programs.
Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Amy took a break from communications consulting and spent six years leading the Young Leadership Council (YLC), a member-based nonprofit organization with a mission to develop leadership in young professionals through community engagement. A highlight of her time as executive director at the YLC was developing the downtown Wednesday at the Square concert series into an annual rite of spring and tripling the organization’s fundraising to develop programs to serve all aspects of post-Katrina New Orleans.
During the early part of her career, Amy worked in sports marketing for the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, Super Bowl XXXI Host Committee, New Orleans Brass Hockey Team, Louisiana State University Athletics and University of New Orleans Athletics. During her career, she has worked in the communications agency business on teams at J. Walter Thompson Worldwide, Logan Marketing, Deveney Communication and P.R. PR, Inc.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Amy has been active in the community since high school, serving on boards and committees for various organizations. She is a past president of the Women’s Professional Council and currently chairs the Tres Doux Foundation’s board of directors. She has also been a board member of Arts Council of New Orleans, Lafitte Greenway, the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA), Dress for Success, Association of Fundraising Professionals, International Association of Business Communicators and Young Leadership Council.
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