She has also been named "Female Politician of the Year" by the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, and "Politician of the Year" by 20 Distinguished Young Men of Huntsville. Early in her public service career, she received the Rising Star Award for Women in Municipal Government.

Since 1987, McCollum has served as a city council member. She has been appointed president and president pro tem of Madison City Council and led the campaign that resulted in a smoking ban in local restaurants.

In other leadership roles, McCollum has served as vice president, and president, of the National League of Cities, an organization representing 17,000 municipalities. She has also served as president of the National Black Caucus of Local and Elected Officials.

McCollum is a founding member of the Madison County Big Brothers/Big Sisters program, former executive director of the Huntsville Girls Club, Inc., a board member of the Madison County Community Action Agency, as well as a gubernatorial appointee to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. The center, which is located in Huntsville, Alabama, is a museum operated by the government of Alabama, showcasing rockets, achievements, and artifacts of the U.S. space program.

"I was reared by my grandparents and was devoted to my grandfather, who I respected," McCollum told Women of Color magazine. "On Sunday, we rode to the country to see relatives. One day, I had a bag of grape bubblegum balls that I refused to share with my cousins and their neighbors. Going home, my grandfather told me he was so disappointed in me because I did not share. He said life brings prosperity to some and not so much to others, and we have a responsibility to help those less fortunate. I felt so embarrassed that I disappointed granddaddy. I remember that event, and I know why I spend my life in service to others," she said.

McCollum earned undergraduate degrees in psychology and sociology from Alabama A&M University and has an Executive Management Certificate from Emory University.