Dr. Colette Harris Mathews

Focused on elevating diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, Dr. Colette Harris-Mathews is the Principal Consultant for Harris Mathews Consulting, a communication, organizational development, leadership, and educational firm.  Harris Mathews Consulting’s vision is to centralize DEIB in higher education and business through strategic, data driven and human centered policy positions and practices. Recent clients include: Carmichael Kiwanis, Sac State’s Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution, Sac State’s Center for Teaching and Learning and Los Rios Community College District. HMC specializes in client specific DEIB workshops, training and program and organizational development. 

 Dr. Harris-Mathews is a Cosumnes River College Emeriti Dean and Professor of Communication Studies with more than 20 years of experience in higher education as an Instructional Dean, Educational Leader, and DEIB practitioner.  Most notably, Dr. Harris-Mathews was essential in directing dual enrollment and early college high school program development, Guided Pathways, Accreditation, and Umoja Community efforts. She also was the CRC Director for the Center for the Advancement of Staff and Student Learning. 

Dr. Harris Mathews was a London Instructional Lead for the Northern CA Study Abroad Consortium in partnership with the American Institute for Foreign Study.  She has lectured and studied African culture at the University of Kigali and University of Ghana. For the last 2 years, Dr. Harris Mathews served as the Interim President of the Los Rios Black Faculty and Staff Association where she led the Districts’ BSFA Hiring Events and conducted workshops on Privilege and the importance of Affinity Groups in Higher Education.   

Committed to diverse board leadership and improving transfer and graduation rates for students of color, Dr. Harris-Mathews currently serves as President Elect of the Sac State Alumni Board of Directors and Nominations Committee Chair. She also she served as Vice President of the Black Alumni Chapter for California State University Sacramento. Proudly elected by more than 10,000 statewide colleagues, Dr. Harris-Mathews formerly served as Region F Board of Governor and Governor At Large for the Faculty Association for California Community Colleges (FACCC).  

Prior to her career in higher education, Dr. Harris-Mathews was a District Manager for a staffing service for 10 years.  Colette’s talent acquisition, organizational culture and professional development background were the significant to client and institutional corporate career successes. She holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Studies from California State University Sacramento and Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Argosy University, San Francisco.