Rafiu Ighile is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Maryland with an MBA who has more than 30 years of accounting experience in government, not-for-profit and for-profit organizations. Rafiu was appointed Director of Finance for Howard County Government Maryland effective September 7, 2020. Prior to that he was most recently the Director of Finance and Administration for the City of Gaithersburg, where he oversaw the Finance, Budget and Procurement functions.

Before joining the City of Gaithersburg, Rafiu worked for the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) as their Chief Financial Officer. While working as CFO for HCPSS, he managed the Finance, Budget, Benefits, and Technology functions. Rafiu successfully implemented the use of Chromebooks for the schools with a student population of more than 59,000 to ensure that all students easily had access to the technology needed for their education. He previously served as the Deputy Director of Finance for Howard County Government where he established the Debt and Cash Management function for the County to effectively manage the debt issuance and investment portfolio with total assets of over $600 million.

Rafiu attended the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania for the Advanced Investment Management Program. He serves on the Executive Board of GFOA and the Maryland GFOA Board of Directors.  He is also a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and Maryland Association of CPAs. Rafiu and his spouse Eki have six daughters.

Three questions for Rafiu:

What is the current or last book you read?

The last book I read was “There was a Country – a personal history of Biafra” by Chinua Achebe and currently reading “You’re It – Crisis, Change, and How to Lead When it Matters Most” by Leonard J. Marcus, Eric J. McNulty, Joseph M. Henderson, Barry C. Dorn.

Who is the person who influenced you the most in your life?

My mother. She taught me the value of life, working hard and staying true to yourself.

What is your favorite personal motto or quote?

Treat others as you would like them to treat you!