Ophelia’s expertise in Public/Private Partnerships and international development was gained while serving on President Nelson Mandela’s Reconstruction and Development Program (RDP), Task Team on Human Resource Development. The RDP Program coordinated all foreign aid to South Africa including the European Union and G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom & United States). To improve private and public-sector cooperation, Ophelia assisted South African companies to compete for procurement contracts with international development agencies such as the World Bank and the African Development Bank to strengthen the local economy and increase exports. While living in South Africa Ophelia developed a training consultancy and taught management courses at universities and at Eskom College in South Africa. Eskom is the national electricity utility source and generates approximately 95% of the electricity used in South Africa and approximately 45% of the electricity used in Africa.
To contribute to community development, Ophelia served as Executive Secretary of the South African National Women’s Sport Foundation, affiliated to the South African Olympics Committee and the National Sports Congress. As Executive Secretary, she managed all international funding received from the Australian government and other international agencies to promote the development of women in sport in South Africa. Continuing her commitment to assist the development of women, Ophelia was a founding Board Member of the Single Parent Support Network whose major sponsor was Kevin Durant, 2014 Most Valuable Player of the National Basketball Association and former player for the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA team.
Ophelia’s education includes a B.S. in Accounting, a M.E.S Master of Entrepreneurial Studies - (Master of Business Administration curriculum + research), a Master’s Degree at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, and Jurist Doctorate studies in oil and gas and international law at the University of Oklahoma and Georgetown Law Schools. At Georgetown University, she also audited National Security courses at the Pentagon. She spent a summer at Queens College at Oxford University studying European Union law. Course work was also completed at Harvard Law School and Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration while she was at the Fletcher School.