Wagfest Networking Extravaganza

Assuanta Collins was born and raised in New York City. Collins is known for her dynamic and innovative persona. She began her career in higher education, serving over 17 years in various leadership roles. She managed grant funded programs with budgets over 3 million dollars.  Collins took her extensive literacy and ESOL experience, leadership and program development expertise and established several business entities within the literary industry. She is the proud founder of Asta Publications, LLC, a mainstream and self-publishing company, Nile Valley Press, an imprint of Asta Publications dedicated to publishing works of professional speakers, Asta Public Relations Services, a public relations firm that focuses on brand management and marketing campaigns for published authors, and Collins Literary Agency which provides literary agents for traditional writers.

Collins holds a Master of Science degree in Adult Education and Human Resource Development from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Early Childhood Education from the College of New Rochelle. Collins is also an active board member of the Fulton County Workforce Investment Board and serves as the co-chair of the Quality Assurance Taskforce. She is also serves on the board of directors for the Writer’s Well, a writer’s retreat dedicated to women. In addition, she holds membership and affiliations with the following associations: American Counseling Association, the American Society for Training and Development, Independent Book Publishers Association, National Employment Counseling Association, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, the nation's oldest, largest, and most selective all-discipline honor society, Public Relations Society of America, The New York Center for Independent Publishing, and the Small Publishers Association of North America.