Meet iSchool alumnus: Ron Rule

Posted by Lauren Franquiz on

Screen Shot 2014-11-21 at 10.51.17 AMAs a student at Florida State in 2005, Ron was named the College of Information’s Gene T. Sherron Outstanding Undergraduate Student. Today Ron is a Senior Vice President, Senior Business Support Manager at Bank of America and is enjoying continued success.

Ron was hired at Bank of America in February 2006, two months after graduation. The company has been good to him. He has moved up steadily serving in 6 different positions over the past 8 years. As the Senior Vice President, Senior Business Support Manager, he and his team are generally viewed as problem solvers. Specifically, they are responsible for:

  • Overall business support
  • Leadership Routines
  • Risk Management
  • Employee engagement
  • Communications

“What I like about my job is that every day is different and unpredictable,” says Ron. “I enjoy that it’s fast paced and I never know what my day will look like. I never know what the executives will need from me. The bank changes on a daily basis.”

Ron identifies two key areas where FSU made the biggest difference: accountability and public speaking. Florida State taught him the importance of accountability, whether for individual or group projects. He says that on occasion, you carry more than just your own weight.

Second, is the continued focus on public speaking and presenting in front of a group. “In the corporate environment, you have no idea how valuable that skillset is when on a day to day basis I could be presenting to 5 or 400 people,” said Ron. “[For those reasons] FSU has helped in my transition to the workforce.”

Rule has built an eight-and-a-half year career at Bank of America. In that time, he has also helped family members, including his wife and sister (also, an FSU alumni from the College of Communications) succeed in banking. “We’re a banking family,” said Ron. “FSU taught me the value of building strong relationships and respecting everyone, because you never know when you will need that person to help assist in your work.”

During Rule’s free time, he tends to his pregnant wife, who is due to have a baby in less than two weeks. He also tries to squeeze in time to work on his 1995 red Nissan 300ZX.

All in all, Ron says, “Most of all, I am proud each day to tell anyone that I am a Florida State Seminole.”