A native of Pittsburgh, Colette began her studies in voice and piano at Duquesne University at the age of seven.  She continued her studies in operatic performance at Carnegie-Mellon where she wrote the script and scores for her musicals The Protégé and Zelda.  She received her BM in Operatic Performance from Duquesne University and later worked as a Legislative Assistant in the House of Representatives.  

While working at the Senate, her father was a Civilian Conservation Corps veteran, inquired if she could assist in taking over ‘dinner planning’ for a CCC reunion at Shenandoah National Park.  A reunion which once consisted of over 500 CCC ‘boys’ and their families had begun to dwindle down with the passing of WW2 veterans.  Realizing the importance of their environmental legacy, she pursued an MA in American Studies at Penn State University and was eventually elected as National Coordinator for the Alumni of Civilian Conservation Corps.  This work involved the collecting of personal histories and cultural evidence for The Shenandoah National Park and training workshops for interpretive rangers at the park. She would then go onto to lead the lobbying effort to unite the efforts of the CCCs with National Public Lands Day, a congressionally established holiday with the National Environmental Education Foundation.

Currently, Colette is a teacher at REACH Cyber Charter Academy where she heads the high school Gifted & Enrichment program. Her students have continued onto Broadway, Hollywood and have been Tony Award winners. She is a member of ASCAP, The Dramatists Guild of America, and The Pennsylvania Association of Gifted Education.