Let us introduce you to Peterson, our newly hired Chief Financial Officer for the Judicial Council/Administrative Office of the Courts.
Condensed and edited for clarity.
Michelle Barclay: First, welcome. We are so glad to have you on board. And thank you for agreeing to do this interview with me. Please tell our readers a little bit about your path to your current job.
Peterson David: I’m glad to be here. I have a Bachelor’s in Finance, a Master’s in Business Administration, and a Master’s in Science and Financial Services. When I left college, my first full time job was as an accountant in the state of Florida. I worked for them for five years. My wife and I moved to Georgia to be closer to family and over time other family members moved to Georgia as well. While in Georgia, I worked for a private company, as their staff tax accountant for about two years. Eventually, I moved to a state agency, managing budgets and grants and then later to a local municipality, as their finance director. Then I was blessed with the opportunity to become the Chief Financial Officer for the AOC and here I am.
MB: How did you find out about the job? Did somebody recommend the job to you?
Peterson David: Honestly, it was a leap of faith. I was content at my previous position. One evening, I was working late with my wife nearby. And my phone buzzed. It was the team Georgia notification where it tells you jobs are available. One of my goals was always to become a CFO. A notification popped up advertising a vacant CFO position at the AOC. My wife asked me if everything was okay because I was quiet for a little while and I told her about the advertised position. She asked me, “Are you going to apply?” I replied that I was not that I liked working in my current job and was not really searching. She reminded me that I always wanted to be a CFO and encouraged me to apply. So, I heeded her advice. I applied and eventually was called for the interviews, and I ended up getting the position.
MB: Excellent. What are your goals for the short term?
Peterson David: My immediate short term goal is to learn everything I can about the AOC. I’ve worked in the executive branch and in the private sector. It is my first time in the judicial branch, so I’m learning as much as I can about the clients, the agency, and how everything works. I’m trying to make sure I’m ingrained in the work to learn as much as I can. This way, I can become an asset to the team. We also need to fill a vacancy so I am working with my managers to get the right person. As I review everything and become accustomed to the AOC, I will make sure that we stay in compliance with all fiscal policy and reports and to make sure that we are submitting all reports that need to be submitted to OPB and others. We’ll stay on task and on track to make sure that we are financially sound.
MB: What about long term goals?
Peterson David: My long term goal is to grow professionally. I believe everywhere you go, there’s something to learn. As one progresses in life one can never stop learning. Education is very important to me. I feel this way not only for myself, but also for my staff. I want to make sure that they get a lot of opportunities to grow professionally in their field. And my very long term goal is to open my own restaurant which I will manage, too.
MG: What do you enjoy in your free time?
Peterson David: In my free time, I like to watch sports. I’m a big basketball, football, and soccer fan. This is my favorite time of the year for sports. I love spending time with my family. I am the oldest of five, so I have four younger siblings that look up to me. I like to spend a lot of time with them and with my parents. My wife and I like to travel and we’re starting to be foodies. I look forward to all of the dinner dates that I have planned with my wife, and we have close friends who are foodies as well, so we’ve been going on a lot of dinner dates.
