Her Story
About Shelly
Shelly Collier is a packaging engineering professional based in Atlanta, Georgia, with a focus on consumer packaged goods (CPG). Since beginning her career in 2004, she has applied her Clemson University degree to roles involving package design, consumer preference analysis, and supply chain scalability across beverage, personal care, and cosmetics companies. Her work ensures innovative ideas become cost-efficient, regionally adaptable products that meet local regulations and consumer needs. Shelly holds a Six Sigma Green Belt certification and recently started the Executive MBA program at Howard University to expand her technical foundation into business strategy. She is an active member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). Shelly attributes her success to the strong work ethic modeled by her parents and values family first in both her personal and professional life, emphasizing team support and authenticity as a leader. She advises approaching challenges with a good-better-best philosophy, viewing progress as a marathon rather than a race, and encourages young women in the industry to prioritize self-care to avoid burnout while enjoying the journey. Among the biggest opportunities she sees in her field is leveraging AI as a tool for innovation.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Shelly
01What do you attribute your success to?
I've had some good examples, and just dedication and driving my parents, they're hard workers. They got up every day, they went to work. It was no excuses. They instilled in me a great work ethic that I've been able to take with me, like, around the world, into different companies.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
It's the philosophy of good, better, best. Progress is what we're striving for, so we can make it good today, better tomorrow, and then strategically plan out what best looks like. When a big project comes, I can divide it up into those categories and pace myself, because it's a marathon, not a race.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
It's never all perfect at the same time, so you gotta learn how to deal with more. We have to make sure we have those breaks where we have time for ourselves and take it in stride, so we don't face that burnout. Enjoy the journey, but take care of yourself, and again, it's a marathon, not a race.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Earlier in my career, I was the only African American or only woman in the room, and I had to get tough skin fast. That's definitely changed over the years. Opportunities with AI - the more we learn about it, the more we can figure out how it helps us. It becomes a tool.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Definitely family first. If that's not going good, that does affect your work life. As a leader of people, that's something I constantly communicate. Sharing is caring. We're a team, so we can lift things together.
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