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 3K71: End Of A Generation

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“But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.”

Lawrence N. Brooks has died.  When you hear his name without context, Lawrence N. Brooks’ name may not mean anything.  But, when we learn that Mr. Brooks, at 112 when he died on Wednesday, was the oldest living US veteran of World War II he becomes some to be remembered. The last of the “Greatest Generation” is now gone and it marked a moment for me.  When I turned 10 years old, Pearl Harbor had happened 31 years earlier.  That seems like a long time, but consider that it’s been longer than that since I graduated from college and I remember that like it was yesterday.  Pearl Harbor, WW II and those who served in that war was very much a real part of my upbringing.  Today’s 10 year old, won’t know anything about Lawrence N. Brooks and WW II if but only a subject of a short History class (if they get it) lesson. The passing of time and the passing of generations is inevitable but it doesn’t mean that we should not mark and remember what history teaches us.  In our businesses there are history lessons to be learned if we were only to pay attention and want to learn from those who came before us.  Our “modern” technology companies are aging through generations (50 years some of them).  Will we remember and make the most of the learning of the generations before or only let them pass?

God pours His abundant love on us for as many generations as we are here on this Earth.  When we began or when we end, makes no difference.  What matters is the God’s love is a constant through every generation.  And what are we to do to make the most of this?  We are to accept and spread this love so that everyone in our generation gets to experience all of the love that God has given for us.  So, as we are God’s standard bearers of this present generation, let’s go make sure that the love of God feels abundant to all around us today.  It’s the greatest gift we can give to our generation and those to come.

Reference:  Exodus 20:6 (New Living Translation)