Author Archives: Rusty Rueff

About Rusty Rueff

Rusty Rueff, author of purposed worKING. Rusty Rueff is the former Chairman Emeritus of The GRAMMY Foundation in Los Angeles. He most recently completed the successful 16 month leadership role as Coordinating National Co-Chair for Technology for Obama (T4O) for the reelection of President Obama and ten-years of Board service and President of the Board of Trustees of the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Corporately, most recently Rueff was the Chief Executive Officer at SNOCAP, Inc. until the acquisition of the company by imeem, Inc. in April 2008. Before joining SNOCAP in 2005, he was Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Electronic Arts (EA) from 1998 until 2005. He was also with the PepsiCo companies for more than ten years, with the Pratt & Whitney division of United Technologies for two years, and in commercial radio as an on-air personality for six years. Rusty holds an M.S. in counseling and a B.A. in radio and television from Purdue University. In 2003 he was named a distinguished Purdue alumnus, and he and his wife, Patti, are the named benefactors of Purdue’s Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Visual and Performing Arts. He is a corporate director of Glassdoor.com and runcoach. He is the co-founder and Executive Committee Member of T4A.org, serves on the Founding Circle of The Centrist Project and a founding Board Member of The GRAMMY Music Education Coalition. He is also the co-author of the book Talent Force: A New Manifesto for the Human Side of Business. Rusty and his wife, Patti, reside in Hillsborough, CA and Charlestown, R.I.

day 2063: Passing

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“Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.”

Ten years ago a new airline came onto the scene.  It was promoted as the “cool” new airline and we all anticipated it would be because it came from entrepreneur Richard Branson.  And so, Virgin America was born.  Guess what?  It was, and is, a cool airline and each time I have flown on the airline, I marvel that the quality and service is heads and shoulders above all others.  And then this week, we hear that Virgin America put itself up for sale.  Ten years and what was is about to be gone.  As I write this, Alaska Airlines is the likely suitor.  What will happen to the “cool” factor?  Will it survive?  Maybe, but I’m not convinced that for very soon we will have an airline called Virgin America.  Might we be reminded how fast things can change by saying, “Air today, gone tomorrow.”

Paul teaches us that we are not to get attached to the things of the world.  Not only are we to not do so, because our focus should be on the eternal, but also Paul knew that the life we are given through Jesus is not to be built on those things that can pass and thus disappoint. All of the things of our world will pass, but Jesus never passes, He remains fully alive today.  Let’s be reminded today that He desires to have us walk side-by-side with Him in all that we do.

Reference: 1 Corinthians 7:31 (New Living Translation)