| Nicole Collier is a respected attorney, small business owner, grandmother and mother of three who has spent her life working to obtain the American Dream. Nicole was raised in a family with vision and a dedication to service. Her grandfather, Walter B. Johnson, Sr., a World War II veterans, started his career as a hostler for a local railroad company, and later went on to work for the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing as a janitor. After years of hard work and determination, Walter rose to become one of the first African-American plate printers at the Bureau, landing him on the front cover of Jet Magazine.
Nicole's father, Rolland Johnson, Sr., started working at the Bureau following a tour in the U.S. Navy. As a student at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Rolland worked nights as an apprentice plate printer. Both Rolland and his father Walter were proud members of the plate printer's union. Rising through the ranks, her father retired from the Bureau as one of the most noted printers in the organization. Meanwhile, Nicole's mother, Shirley Johnson, dedicated her life to serving children in many youth ministries, and caring not only for their children and grandchildren, but many local neighborhood children, as well.
Nicole herself was born with the same vision and determination as her predecessors. As a single mother of two children before finishing high school, she was bolstered by both her faith and family to continue her education all the way through law school graduation. Nicole graduated from the University of Houston and married Gary Collier, shortly thereafter. Gary and Nicole established their home in Fort Worth, Texas, and for the last 18 years, Nicole has been a strong advocate for individuals and families, and has now taken her skills to the state Capitol.
Nicole is the first woman to represent House District 95, in Tarrant County, and in November 2018, she was re-elected to her fourth term in office.
In the 86th Texas Legislature, Representative Collier was appointed to serve as Chair of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and Vice-Chair of the House's General Investigating Committee, and re-appointed to the Business & Industry Committee.
Her appointment as Chair of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee makes Representative Collier the first woman in Texas history to serve in that capacity since the committee's formation in 1879.
The Texas Legislative Black Caucus re-elected Representative Collier as the First Vice-Chair in 2018. Moreover, since first elected, she has introduced legislation ranging from banning the sale of e-cigarettes to minors, expanding eligibility for health care under the Affordable Care Act, creating more opportunities for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs), to increasing consumer protections under third-party debt collection practices in Texas and providing earned paid leave to Texas workers. |