Enrique Ruiz is a leading authority on Diversity training, Leadership and Personal Development, a Professional Speaker and an inventor.

As a senior program manager for a Fortune 100 company, Ruiz was responsible for operations on a billion-dollar U.S. Census Bureau project that culminated in 2010 managing a nationwide workforce of 15,000 strong. His 29-plus year career, which has included travel to 13 countries and residence in three, helped frame Ruiz's passion for Diversity. But it is his zeal to get to know people and understand their thoughts on a more personal level that led him to experience many religious faiths, explore different cultures and read many books. He's now bringing that passion and insight for Diversity to companies and organizations around the country helping them uncover the diamonds and the radiance within their teams.

Ruiz has served as a Diversity & Inclusion chairperson - and ambassador - for Lockheed Martin Corporation, earning him notable recognition (including multiple awards) for his passion and novel methodologies employed to recognize, appreciate and celebrate the diversity of people.

He has published four books, including Discriminate or Diversify, a trek through time which examines the customs of the past and their applicability today. It identifies personal options, practices and sometimes misguided beliefs we have collectively fostered while highlighting the "higher road" and the power of Human Diversity. It offers guidance that enable us to build bridges of trust with those who surround us, those we love and those we fear, those with whom we do business and depend upon, and those with whom we collectively are a civilization.

Fluent in English and Spanish, Ruiz has been exposed to Hebrew, Yiddish, Japanese and French at different stages of his life - clarifying a diverse humanity where new worlds of understanding, appreciation and possibility emerged. Enrique's 20-plus-year marriage and their three children introduced new wonders of maturity. The sudden death of his daughter in a car accident, divorce proceedings and other anomalies of life brought further heartache and growth. Many of the resulting insights are included in his other three books: Wisher, Washer Wishy-Washy (3 kinds of people and those who succeed), Love is Lost When (simple sayings of broken relationships) and The W-Characters (character building for young children). Their content is as diverse as their audiences, inspiring senior-level professionals, married couples and even Elementary school children.

Ruiz earned a specialty certification in Laser Electro-Optics technology and a bachelor's degree in Business, and he neared the completion of an MBA from the Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. In a wide array of positions with various companies, he has worked in tactical laser weapons manufacturing, high volume manufacturing for worldwide components and specialty products manufacturing for satellite and large Information Technology projects - and won awards in every single position. He has led and managed workforces of hundreds and workforces of thousands on two continents.

Ruiz's prize possession is a vast (and continuously expanding) personal library. He is known for his enthusiasm and passion in the public arena, yet he revels equally in the quietude at home with family. Those who know him best would say that he goes the extra mile in his work, his travels and his quest to smell the roses in life. He believes infinite possibilities for increased security, profitable business pursuits, enlarged circles of influence and greater friendships await us all.

RUIZ's ROOTS

Human Diversity in Organizations, a Hidden World of Opportunity