Joe Edward Collins III is a 13 1/2-year Navy Veteran from South Central LA. He's the CEO of a contracting and development company and also sits on the board of a private global development company. He’s a licensed financial professional and holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from the University of Phoenix. He is the former host of KABC's radio show New Black Republican and a current Congressional candidate for California's 36th district.
Collins grew up on 104th and Normandie in South Central Los Angeles, Ca, and knows this district all too well; Extreme amounts of Homelessness, Crime, Lack of Quality Education, and High Gang Activity.
One Sunday, the home that Joe and his family lived in was the target of a drive-by shooting. Upon returning home from his grandfather's church, they found that bullets had made their way through the windows and into the cushions of the family sofa. At this moment Joe’s mother decided that it was time for her and her children to move from South Central Los Angeles. She moved her family to a rural town outside of Dallas Texas (Joe's mother is still a teacher in the suburbs of Dallas).
After completing high school in Texas, Joe made the most important decision of his life; He joined the U.S. Navy.
Joe Collins spent 13 years in the Navy and quickly rose to the rank of First Class Petty Officer (E-6). He worked on and trained thousands of sailors on many types of aircraft including the F-18 Super Hornet, E6 Mercury, and the MH60 Sea-hawk. With the help of the U.S. Navy, he also became a licensed financial professional, as well as a Certified Counselor for rape and sexual assault victims. Joe also was a recruiter and earned numerous honors and awards. This was a role Joe enjoyed immensely, as he had the pleasure of jump-starting the careers of many of our young American leaders of today.
Joe proudly served during the successful campaign, “Operation Iraqi Freedom”. Joe left the U.S. Navy in Sept of 2017, with a desire to continue serving his country, and this time it would be in a Leadership role in politics.
Since already taking an oath to defend our country and its people, the decision to serve and defend those without a voice in his California District was one he would proudly make.