Before coming to King, Colette worked in the criminal justice field for 17 years, serving as both a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, specializing in juvenile law and domestic violence. She is also a qualified guardian ad litem representing children. Colette graduated cum laude from George Mason University School of Law (now known as Antonin Scalia Law School). Following law school, she served as a judicial law clerk for the Arlington County Circuit Court as well as worked on the Commonwealth v. John Allen Muhammad (the DC sniper case).
At King, in the Criminal Justice Department, she has taught the following courses: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Comparative Criminal Justice, Criminal Justice Policy, Ethics and Justice, Juvenile Justice, Serial and Mass Murder, Theories of Criminology, Freshman Seminar, Introduction to Criminal Justice, and Alternatives to Criminal Justice – Restorative Justice. In college, she studied abroad her junior year in Montpellier, France at l’Université Paul Valéry. She encourages all students to study abroad and work and/or volunteer in as many places as possible to help them find their unique calling.
- J.D., cum laude, George Mason University School of Law (now known as Antonin Scalia Law School)
- B.A. in political science and French, Appalachian State University