Her Story
About Colette
Colette Cottman is a Senior Strategist and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Regional Leader at TEKsystems, where she designs and executes enterprise-wide people strategies that strengthen inclusion, engagement, and high-performance workforce systems. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, she is also a keynote speaker and facilitator specializing in human-centered leadership, AI fluency, and organizational transformation in the evolving AI-augmented workplace. Her work focuses on aligning business outcomes with inclusive culture-building, employee experience, and measurable impact across talent ecosystems.
Her professional foundation was shaped by 15 years of service in the US Army, where she held senior leadership roles in human resources, operations, and community engagement. Throughout her military career, she led large-scale personnel systems, resiliency and mentorship initiatives, and workforce readiness programs supporting thousands of service members across domestic and international assignments. She later expanded her expertise into corporate and technology environments, including work with Microsoft, where she focused on training, customer success, and organizational development, bridging technical adoption with human-centered learning and inclusion strategies.
Colette holds a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Webster University and a background in business, organizational behavior, and systems thinking. She is actively involved in veteran and community initiatives, including support for organizations such as Wounded Warrior Project, and contributes to workforce development, DEI advancement, and leadership education efforts. Her professional philosophy centers on integrating AI and human capability—helping organizations build adaptive, ethical, and high-performing teams prepared for the future of work.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Colette
01What do you attribute your success to?
I'm always learning something new, and that's what's gotten me in front of opportunities that were progressively building up to the next thing and the next thing. One, I learn something and I apply it. I think sometimes people learn for the sake of learning and then don't do anything with it. So, I'm a show-and-proof kind of person. And I think that has been able to help me get ahead and just jump right over others.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was to slow down and speed up. I was always on the go with 4 or 5 things going at one time, trying to demonstrate my capability. A very smart man who's now a three-star general told me that after 5 minutes, no one doubts you're capable, but after 4 hours of chasing you around trying to find the point, no one knows your value. What he showed me was that a lot of what I was doing fit into places that were not as important as what he needed me to do. So, slowing down and backing up, taking in the big picture, and then honing in on what's the most valuable asset and process that I could create or improve in that moment has the most value. If I focus on what has the most value, then all of the other things can get done later, but I have the floor because I've shown that I have the most value. So now, the people who are decision makers are listening to me.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Pick a lane and learn. Take a moment to iterate. Try things. Don't be afraid to try something. If it doesn't work, you learn that it didn't work. If it does work, it'll get you to the next thing. But if you never try, you're circling the drain. So be diligent and rigorous about your learning, but even more diligent and rigorous about applying what you learn and sharing along the way.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
First and foremost, family. It's interesting because I'm an only child and my mother and I are not close because she worked 3 jobs and I was always by myself. My husband passed away two years ago right after Thanksgiving. But my daughters, when I became a mom, it literally changed my life. I had something to live for and someone to care for and who would unconditionally love me. Once I realized how much she needed for me to be whole, then it became important for me. Now, everything revolves around making sure that I am at my best for my family, my mom and my daughters. And then, of course, my faith and my health.
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