A native of Griffin, Georgia, Ricky is no stranger to executive-level governmental management. Ricky has worked in government since the age of 18. Ricky has served as Assistant to the County Manager of Spalding County, County Clerk & also similar roles in Fulton County. After serving nearly ten years with the city of Joesboro, Ricky brought national events and notoriety to the City of Jonesboro.
Having been featured on Channel 5, Channel 10, the Atlanta Business Chronicles, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution & the Clayton News Daily, Ricky’s dedication to ensuring that the Mayor and Council’s objectives were met sounded across the Region. To name a few of his accomplishments: completely redesigned City Website (twice), spearheaded a rebranding campaign for the City, led the creation of the Jonesboro Main Street Program & Downtown Development Authority and was responsible for raising over $200,000 in the organization’s first three years, led the $7M Broad Street Renovation project in which repurposed a Firehouse to become a thriving downtown restaurant and city green, led the $20M City Center Project which was the construction of a new City Hall.
Notably, Ricky was successful in attracting one of the fastest-growing restaurants in the world, Slutty Vegan. Ricky’s grant submittal to the Atlanta Regional Commission resulted in an $80,000 Major Study to revitalize the central business district of Jonesboro. As part of the strategic
priorities for Mayor and council, Ricky spearheaded the creation of the Jonesboro Enterprise Zone & most recently, his application to the State resulted in the designation of Jonesboro as a Rural Zone. Both designations combined together afforded the City over $150,000 to incentivize economic development.
In May of 2023, Ricky was appointed as City Manager for Clayton’s largest Municipality, Forest Park. Upon entering the position, Ricky rolled out his 100-day action plan, titled One Forest Park. This distinct plan served as the roadmap for his first 100 days as city manager and focused on three critical areas: operation efficiency, neighborhood sustainability, and economic development. These three important tenets weren’t chosen lightly, as they all are vital to the success of any municipality – big or small.
Within Ricky’s first 100 days as City Manager for the City of Forest Park, Ricky led the charge to collect over $600,000 in delinquent taxes and fees, adopted the largest fiscal budget in the city’s history. The budget includes significant investments for capital improvement projects, a five percent cost-of-living wage increase for all full-time employees, over $18.3 million for Public Safety, $3.5 million for Public Works, and a substantial amount of funding to help upgrade the city’s senior center. In addition, Ricky unveiled a brand-new tool to assist with the government’s overall goal of providing exceptional customer service and also leading the City to the next level of technological advancement. The app, entitled ONEClick serves as a one-stop shop for reporting local service requests within the City of Forest Park.
In addition, Ricky launched an initiative entitled, OneLight in partnership with Georgia Power to upgrade nearly 1,900 light fixtures throughout the city so that we can increase our street lighting footprint. This holistic effort not only improved safety and reduced crime but also significantly reduced the city’s energy usage and lowered Forest Park’s annual carbon footprint.
Ricky is a proud member of the ATL Transit Authority, Lake Spivey Rotary Club, National Forum of Black Public Administrators, Georgia’s Downtown Development Authority, Clayton County Public Schools Foundation, International City/County Management Association, Georgia Association of Economic Developers, Georgia Local Government Personnel Association & the Georgia Association of Business Tax Officials. Ricky attends the Living Faith Tabernacle Church in Forest Park, GA.
Throughout his career, Ricky has received several prestigious awards. Most recently, Ricky was awarded the 40 under 40 award from the National Young Government Leaders Association & also received the “Men of Excellence Award” from the Atlanta Healthcare Association. Ricky also was awarded the 40 under 40 award from the Atlanta Business Chronicle. This award highlights those under the age of 40 who have made significant career achievements and have demonstrated social responsibility.
Ricky’s motto and drive comes from the famous words of Colin Powell, “Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.” Ricky remarks that his mother always instilled in him that the philosophy of leadership is two-fold: Lead by Example and Take Care of Your Troops. He wholeheartedly believes that everyone is capable of being leaders – of your families, in your neighborhoods, at your workplace and you all have the capacity to serve others. Integrity, Vision, Courage, and Passion are leadership characteristics that motivate me daily, said Ricky.