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 1967: Obstinate Optimist

“I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”

Mitch Daniels, the President of Purdue University, my alma mater,  describes himself as an “obstinate optimist”.  I love that description as I find myself there most of the time too.  What is hard about being one of these is that we are easily frustrated with those who see the world differently and start with the glass as half-empty.  It takes all kinds to make the world go round, but I know that our businesses and organizations would be better with more OO+ people.

Why can we be optimists and hopeful with all that the world deals us that tries to create a sense of hopelessness?  It is because we have Jesus in our backpacks and briefcases as he head to work each day. As you settle in this morning, take a gaze in there and know that He is with you in all that you will face today and is only waiting for you to reach in and bring Him out for all that you do and need.

Reference:  Lamentations 3:24 (New Living Translation)