ONE ON ONE | Richard Roller YACAC director is motivated by love of community

Your job involves a lot of community service, but what do you find most rewarding about your job?
I love my job, and I can do it selflessly. I thought I was going to be a broker on Wall Street with my training in economics and finance. I found that my services were more needed in the social service sector. What I love about this job is that I can throw myself into it and make this agency the economic engine that it can be. If a businessman is to look at our community, I would want them to look at how we are treating our low-income [residents] and those who are disadvantaged; to see that they are treated with care, respect and nurturing so they can become part of a growing company. It is selfless. I don't have any political aspirations, [I'm] just a nonpartisan person who is doing this strictly for the community. That is what this community needs more than anything, someone who is willing to bring their skills back home and do it because they love the area.
Who has most influenced your life and why?
That would have to be my parents. They provided me with a stable upbringing and made me into the man I am today. A close second would have to be my grandmother.
I assume you are still very close to your parents?
Very close. Part of the reason why I came back to the area after college was basically because of my family and extended family.
Besides being close to family, what do you like about living here?
This is one of the greatest areas in which to live and grow up in the country. Many people here just don't realize that. I have had the opportunity to experience different parts of the country and have friends all over the country. From the four seasons to our general location to the cost of living this is one of the best areas to live and grow up. Right now it is not one of the best places to work, but that is what we are working on.
What is your favorite type of food or favorite dish?
I can't get beyond the down-home food my dad makes or my grandmother makes, you know, Southern fried chicken, collard greens and those types of things -- just really good food.
What is your all-time favorite movie?
That would have to be "The Godfather" parts one and two. And it's not so much because of the mob ties and all that, but more for the relationships and the interplay. It's somewhat like a Greek tragedy with the range of emotions you go through. The movie has great actors and that is probably why I re-read the book. I read the book when it first came out, never would watch the movie, and when I watched the movie I loved it.
What do you do to get away from the stresses of everyday life or work?
Right now it would have to be a walk in the woods. You know, to kind of get away from everything. Take a little walk in the woods and you will be surprised how fast you can find God and find some peace within yourself that goes beyond all understanding. Strolling through the woods or dealing with my kids. With my children I can just get into a whole other world. They understand who I am. When I am with my family I can relax and be who I am. I depend on that, I depend on it desperately. My brother is my best friend, and my uncles and aunts are all right there for me. I feel very, very fortunate to have a close family and that they are all still here.
Do you have any religious philosophies or affiliations?
Well, I was born and raised in Price Memorial A.M.E Zion Church. As I have gotten older and have had a chance to travel, I have taken on a more generalist sort of attitude that religion and the different sects tend to not have this all-for-one and one-for-all attitude. In my study, whether you read the Bible or the Koran, I am always struck by how similar it is instead of dissimilar. So religion, while it is good at the base, in practice it has become a little more destructive and causes people to drift apart.
What types of music do you enjoy?
Jazz, I love jazz. John Coltrane -- just more a traditional jazz. I listen to popular music also but it has to be singing about something.
Who, living or dead, would you most like to sit down with and have a meal and conversation?
Probably Malcom X or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I look at them as two of the greatest men in recent history who were taken away before their time. I would like to catch a glimpse of what they were planning for the future, those things that never made it to paper.