Awards

President’s Award

Ronald W. Allen, MSFS, CAP™, AEP, CFP®
Director, Institute of Financial Studies
Open Campus

Ron Allen has worked with FCCJ since 1999. He is founding director of FCCJ’s Institute for Financial Studies and is an instructor for the Institute’s CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Certification Education Program, which fulfills the education requirement to sit for the CFP® Certification Examination. Ron has a Master of Science degree in Financial Services and is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional and a Registered Investment Advisor. He also holds the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy and Accredited Estate Planner designations.

Ron has served as president of the Jacksonville Society of the Institute of Certified Financial Planners and chairman of the Financial Planning Association of Jacksonville. He was selected by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. to serve their national organization in three capacities. He is a member of the Exam Content Specialist Committee; the CFP Board’s Financial Planning Curriculum Review Team for the National Academy of Finance and was selected to serve as a media relations contact to assist the CFP Board in responding to local and national media requests for expert financial advice. Ron serves on Duval County School Board’s Wolfson Career Academy of Finance Advisory Board.

In addition to educating students and professionals, Ron is dedicated to educating consumers in personal financial planning. Ron regularly leads seminars, workshops and presentations that are open to the public or provided to groups through contract with employers, clubs and other organizations. Consumer education is further provided through media appearances, including his eight years of weekly commentary on National Public Radio’s “Jacksonville Exchange” and “In Context” programs. Ron currently does a weekly commentary on “In Context” aired locally on NPR affiliate 89.9 FM. Ron is former host of a Saturday morning program “The Money Safari” aired in Northeast Florida on 1320 AM.

Through Ron’s management of the Institute for Financial Studies and his participation in committees and media at the national level, FCCJ has become a nationally-recognized, award winning leader in providing education and training in the field of personal finance. It was Ron’s innovative and resourceful approach to challenges that convinced the CFP Board to grant FCCJ approval to offer the CFP Program making FCCJ the first community college in the nation to gain such approval among hundreds of colleges, universities and private providers. Ron also led a collaborative effort to realize his vision to create a totally articulated career path in financial services from high school dual enrollment, to an A.S. degree at FCCJ, and into a B.B.A. at the University of North Florida. This is the first of its kind in the country and now serves as a model for financial education not only in Florida, but nationwide.

For the last eight years, Ron has been a valued member of the Employee Benefits Advisory Council where he has collaboratively worked and has been instrumental in creating the wealth management strategy for the College and creatively designed benefits programs that meet the needs of FCCJ employees. Thanks to his leadership, exceptional professionalism, technical knowledge and innovative ideas, the College today has expanded participation in a number of benefits including Flexible Spending Accounts, a debit card for medical and/or child care expenses, 403(b) plans and the opportunity to take a 1 credit hour employee benefits course that he developed, implemented and teaches to help employees meet current personal financial needs and successfully plan for the future.

Another example of the far-reaching effect Ron Allen has on advancing the goals of our College is the information he provided for the article in the current FCCJ Foundation’s newsletter titled “New Law Allows Tax-free Charitable Donations for IRA Owners…” The information within the article is sure to be a financial benefit to the Foundation. Ron’s leadership and dedication have made significant and very positive contributions to the present and future financial planning needs of FCCJ’s faculty, staff, students, community and the financial planning industry at large.

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