Gail Collins

Gail Collins (born November 25, 1945) is an American journalist, op-ed columnist and author, most recognized for her work with the New York Times. Joining the Times in 1995 as a member of the editorial board, from 2001 to 2007 she served as the paper's Editorial Page Editor – the first woman to attain that position. Collins writes a semi-weekly op-ed column for the Times, published Thursdays and Saturdays. In 2014 she co-authored a blog with David Brooks, "The Conversation," at NYTimes.com, featuring political commentary.

Biography

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1945 as Gail Gleason, Collins attended an all-girls Catholic high school, then went on to complete a B.A. in journalism at Marquette University, in 1967, and an M.A. in government at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in 1971.

Following graduation from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, she wrote for Connecticut publications, including the Hartford Advocate, and, in 1972, founded the Connecticut State News Bureau, a news service providing coverage of the state capital and Connecticut politics. When she sold the bureau in 1977, it had grown into the largest service of its kind in the United States. As a freelance writer in the late 1970s she wrote weekly columns for the Connecticut Business Journal and was a public affairs host for Connecticut Public Television.