‘Money Man’ out: Ron Collier reflects on 24 years at Bibb County schools, retirement
Ronnie C. Collier recently announced his plans to retire after 24 years as the chief financial officer at Bibb County School District at the end of the fiscal year. The Miami native, known affectionately as “The Money Man,” is ready for his next endeavor.
Reporter Tamari Perrineau recently interviewed Collier, who also worked for the Telegraph from 1989 to 1996, about his journey, working for the district, retirement plans and more. Collier oversees the district’s accounting and procurement departments and manages the district’s $300 million annual budget.
The Bibb County School District has received the Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the past 20 years under his leadership.
Q: What originally brought you to Macon?
A: I worked for Knight Ridder down in Miami. I started off as an auditor where I traveled around the country and audited newspapers that Knight Ridder owned. And so probably after about a couple of years of doing that, I went to work in a management capacity with the Miami Herald. And at that time, the job was opened here in Macon. So I moved to Macon in 1989 and have been here ever since.
Q:What motivated you to get into accounting?
A: My uncles down in Miami, they were educators. But they will also sportsmen, athletes. They all went to Florida A&M University and so I wanted to follow in their footsteps, but it appeared that I wasn’t quite as good an athlete as they were. I did well in math, I like math.
I enjoyed having to develop ideas and curricula, and all of those things that help students grow. I enjoy educating, I enjoy teaching, even though I don’t specifically do that. But we do have occasions when we impart our knowledge to others in the district.
Q: How does it feel to be responsible for successfully managing the district’s finances over the past quarter century?
A: It’s a team effort. So I want to be clear on that. When you have the right team in place, these goals and visions are accomplishable. At the Bibb County School District, we try to recruit and retain the right people, and ensure that those people are confident and experienced in what they do.
And when you have that, then you’re able to achieve, and that’s what we’ve been able to do. It’s not because of me, but I think it’s because of the people who surround me. I think everybody has something to offer. And so sometimes we need to just give our staff the opportunity to show what they can do. And then sometimes we just need to get back out of the way.
Q: I know your children went to Bibb County schools. How does that feel?
A: I’m proud of that! I’m proud of the fact that all four of my children graduated from this district. I take pride in that and it gives me a certain affinity to the district. They’ve gone on to do really well.
Q: Tell us about your nickname “The Money Man”
A: I’m not sure how I got the nickname, but I do so often I laugh at it because I have very little money of my own. So I don’t know, I guess because I’m in charge of the district finances; being in charge of that is ensuring that the district continues to be financially stable, in other words, that we are not in trouble of not being able to meet obligations.
It takes money to operate a business and quite frankly, the district is a business. We may not realize that it is, but it is. Like any other business, it takes funds.
Q: You’re involved in your church, nonprofits and professional organizations. How do you balance all of that?
A: I really don’t, quite frankly, and that’s part of the reason that I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s time to retire; so I can have time to do some of the other things in life, family, exercise, things of that nature, just to focus on other things, and to transition.
Well, why now? Because it’s just time.
Q: What are your plans after you retire?
A: Because I’ve been working for the last 43 years, I decided to just take some time off and rest, relax: maybe read, maybe travel a bit, perhaps spend a little bit more time with family. So that’s what I plan to do, at least for the first 100 days. Everybody wants to put a risk. The president has a 100 day plan. So that’s my 100 day plan and I’ll see what happens.
Collier is an active member of his church, St. Paul AME, where he served as chairman of the finance committee for over 25 years. He also volunteered and served several local organizations in the community that include the Museum of Arts and Sciences, the Adopt-A-Role Model program, the Optimist Club, the United Way of Central Georgia, the Salvation Army Advisory Board and the River Edge Foundation Board.
Professionally he is involved in the National Association of Black Accountants, the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Georgia Government Finance Officers Association, the Georgia Association of School Business Officials, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants