As a partner at Brown Rudnick, Jessie Collins was in her element — deep in the deals, guiding companies through due diligence, financing, and governance and securities challenges. But once the ink dried and the client moved on, she felt adrift. “I wanted to be part of the strategy discussion,” she recalls. “I didn’t see what happened next until there was a problem or another project.”

Looking for a seat at the table, Collins moved in-house, first at Raytheon and then as vice president and associate general counsel at Keurig Green Mountain. “Raytheon was a fabulous experience,” she says. “Securities, corporate reporting, governance, board work, M&A — I really got to participate in how a corporation works.” At Keurig, she was deeply involved in the company’s sale to private equity firm JAB. “It was an incredible experience, and I also have a coffee problem, so that was really handy.”

Today, Collins serves as chief legal officer at athenahealth, which she joined a decade ago, drawn by the company’s mission and technology. Through software and services, athenahealth manages the back-office burden of healthcare — billing, records and administration — so doctors can focus on what they were trained to do: treat patients. “Our goal is to cure the complexity of healthcare,” she says.

Off the clock, Collins and her family are always looking for their next outdoor adventure. She’s also a voracious reader who typically has four books going at once, using AI to scout her next couple of reads and devouring everything from historical biography to leadership theory. That relentless curiosity doesn’t just shine through in her hobbies; in fact, it’s at the heart of who she is. “I’m still learning every day,” she says. “If anyone says their job is easy, they aren’t prepared for what’s next — they need a stronger team to challenge them!”