Fulton County Schools’ longtime head of human resources is retiring.
Ron Wade, the chief talent officer for the state’s fourth-largest school system, worked his last day Friday. Superintendent Mike Looney announced Wade’s retirement at Thursday’s board meeting.
“Ron has been a true asset to the district during his decades of dedicated service to our schools, staff and students. We wish him well in the next chapter of his life and future endeavors,” said district spokesman Brian Noyes in a written statement.
Wade oversaw recruitment and retainment efforts for the district’s roughly 14,000 teachers, principals, bus drivers, food-service workers, administrators and other employees.
In November, he championed efforts to increase the district’s minimum hourly pay to $16. He also helped lead Fulton’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and employee vaccination programs.
Last year, Wade received a reprimand from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. That stemmed from a failure to report a former employee to the state agency after a district investigation substantiated allegations of sexual harassment.
Looney appointed a transition team to take over the human resources department.
That work will be led by the district’s executive director of special projects, Gonzalo La Cava, whom Fulton recently re-hired. La Cava most recently headed up human resources for the Palm Beach County school system in Florida. Before that, he was an administrator in the Fulton district.
The district “will set forth a process soon” to identify a new chief talent officer, Noyes said.
