As a 14-year-old high school student, Tony Ferrara found himself fascinated by a career-day speaker, an accountant who made working in a world of numbers sound like a dream job.
Ferrara went home and told his parents he had found his calling.
That stranger’s advice, more than 35 years ago, propelled Ferrara into a successful financial career. Today, he is the vice chancellor, finance and operations, for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
Tony Ferrara
“The majority of my professional career has involved accounting, payroll, balancing budgets, and related functions,” said Ferrara, who worked part time in a bank for his first job.
“My path started with that career-day speaker who talked about accounting and the important role it played in society. After that class, I was 100 percent hooked.
“One difference today is that it has become extremely challenging doing more work with less money and resources,” Ferrara said. “Our mission here at the Health Science Center is education and research. My job is to ensure the colleges have the money they need to carry out that important mission.”
Ferrara earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Illinois and completed a master’s in accounting science.
A strong believer in transparency, Ferrara says openness in a university setting is especially important because it “helps people understand the difficult decisions the administration has to make and enables our leaders to make wise and informed decisions.”
His father, John, was a research chemist who holds numerous patents.
“My family did not realize this until after his retirement. I never took a lab course in high school or college, probably to my dad’s chagrin,” he said. “Today, ironically, I am working for an institution with more chemicals, beakers and labs than any other educational place in the Mid-South.”
Ferrara said his three sons (Alex, Michael and Jon) are also math whizzes.
“They passed my wife (Kathy) and me in the field of math some time ago,” he said, with a laugh.
Ferrara’s advice to anyone considering a career: “Have fun in whatever you choose to do.”
“Some people think accounting is just crunching numbers,” Ferrara said.
“The field is much more than just math. Accounting is planning, thinking strategically, building processes, and collaborating with people from all backgrounds to achieve objectives.”
Tony Ferrara
Title: Vice chancellor, finance and operations
Employer: The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Address: 62 S. Dunlap, Suite 300
Phone: 448-5523
Online: uthsc.edu
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