Dr. Rob Collins Jr., Ed.D., is an educator, researcher, and leader who believes in transforming everyday classroom learning to prioritize joy, community connection, and deep inquiry that leads to meaningful action.

Over the past decade, Rob has dedicated his career to education innovation across Kentucky and beyond. He has founded and led statewide initiatives including the Local Laboratories of Learning (L3) project, the Kentucky Innovative Learning Network (KY ILN), the Kentucky Portrait of a Learner, and the Kentucky Innovative Teacher Fellowship. Currently serving as a strategic data analyst and researcher shaping statewide education policy in Kentucky, Rob brings both practitioner insight and systems-level perspective to his work.

Believing that student transformation begins with teacher transformation, Rob founded CIP Learning to reimagine professional learning for educators—building joyful, competency-based experiences that connect teachers nationwide. CIP Learning leverages competency-based education (CBE) models and community-centered structures to support educators as they design, implement, document, reflect on, and defend authentic classroom projects. Rob's philosophy rests on the symmetry of adult and student learning—that the same principles driving vibrant student learning should shape how educators learn and grow.

Rob has also had the opportunity to share his expertise in competency-based learning for educators, community-based assessment and more, on the national stage. He supported the development of KnowledgeWorks’ Portrait of a Leader, and has appeared on numerous podcasts, including Growth Over Grades and Learning Unboxed.

Beyond education, Rob has also founded and led initiatives to strengthen civic engagement, cultual wealth, and democratic renewal, including the Appalachian Futures Institute—a think-and-do tank devoted to research and activism aimed at building a brighter, more equitable future for Appalachia.

Rob is an alumnus of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence Teacher Fellowship, BRIGHT Leadership Kentucky, and Teach For America Appalachia's Central Appalachia Leadership Lab (CALL), as well as the Obama Leaders USA Program.