Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette, Huston-Tillotson University

What's Happening on the East Side of Austin

About our speaker:

Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette is the President and CEO of Huston-Tillotson University—Austin’s oldest institution of higher learning and only Historically Black College and University (HBCU).  She is a mother, a wife, an engineer, a lover of music, dogs, books, and champagne.  Dr. Pierce Burnette has combined her entrepreneurial spirit, and technical knowledge to forge successful careers in engineering, information technology, and higher education.   She is a staunch believer that education is the great equalizer and not an option.  Since President Pierce Burnette’s 2015 arrival to our Capital City, she has been a woman on a singularly focused mission—ensuring that any and all barriers to her students’ success are elucidated, deconstructed, and ultimately, obliterated.  Her unwavering commitment to this mission has resulted in Huston-Tillotson University forging strong reciprocal and sustainable partnerships such as Apple, Texas Parks & Wildlife, Bank of America, and University Federal Credit Union. Her roots of community engagement for the City of Austin run deep for she proudly serves on the boards of Austin Community Foundation, Leadership Austin, Austin Transit Partnership, Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Austin Area Urban League, and Waterloo Greenway.  She is the Chair of the Board of the Central Texas Collective for Racial Equity.  She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Austin Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.

President Pierce Burnette received her high school diploma in Cleveland, Ohio, from John F. Kennedy High School, a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from The Ohio State University, and a Master of Science in Administration from Georgia College.  She is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Management Development Program and received her Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.

President Pierce Burnette is married to retired Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Daarel Burnette, and they have two adult children (Daarel II of Washington, DC and Daana of Los Angeles, CA).