Bio Graphy
Opportunities For Change (OFC) is a not for profit organization, incorporated in 2008 and organized to provide services to returning citizens in the state of Virginia. In 2013, OFC expanded it services to the Suffolk Workforce Development Center to offer training classes in basic and intermediate computer training, and finance management; and later included job readiness and soft skills training. Now in 2016, OFC has developed a fee-based eLearning training site that hosts over 60 diverse courses in essential workplace skills and career building. These courses are available online or they can be facilitated. Each course is designed to assist youth, adults, and active older adults in making a difference in the workplace, as well as in their personal and professional lives. All the proceeds for OFC’s educational programs and services go to benefit the nonprofit, making it possible for the returning citizens and the marginalized to receive services at no cost.
The Executive Director is Edward R. Collum, Sr., or “Mr. Ed” as he is fondly known as. He is a business owner and co-founder of OFC with his late wife, Donna Roncarti, a retired colonel of the United States Air Force. Together they combined 48 years of successful business and work experience to assist people in need in developing a career path in the cities of Alexandria and Suffolk, Virginia. As a visionary, Mr. Ed has worked several years, committed to developing a REAL solution for those who are marginalized; like ex-offenders, veterans and the unemployed, underemployed and now the employed. He believes that the importance of career development varies by the individual; but for many, a successful career is a significant contributor to personal happiness and financial stability.
Mr. Ed is a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Suffolk, where he is the leader of the Left Behind support group for widows and widowers. He is a certified trainer and facilitator for Oasis Connections, a national education and service organization, AARP Finance 50+. He is also certified with Century Anger Management as a Level 1 trainer and a certified trainer in Moral Recognition Therapy (MRT) with Correctional Counseling Inc. Mr. Ed has published over 30 paperback books and cds that focus on Soft (Life) Skills and Career Development Courses He resides in Suffolk Virginia, where he loves boating and spending time with his dogs Callie and O’Henry.