Earlier this week, the University of Puget Sound Human Resources Manager Erin Ruff was among the honorees at South Sound Business magazine’s 40 Under 40 celebration. The annual event, and corresponding magazine cover story, recognizes a cohort of standout young professionals working in the South Sound region.
“I felt honored and humbled to be a part of such a great group of young professionals doing some amazing work in the South Sound,” says Ruff (pictured with Jeff Burlingame, editor in chief of South Sound Business).
In her interview with South Sound Business, Ruff shared that she sees herself as a problem solver at Puget Sound. “I truly enjoy helping people find opportunities for growth and development, and I love being able to offer guidance so they can reach their goals,” she told the Tacoma-based periodical.
Ruff has worked at Puget Sound for six years. The university hired her to serve as the recruitment coordinator in 2013. Two years later, she was promoted to human resources generalist. She has been in her current role for a year.
“I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do when I graduated college,” Ruff remembers. “Fortunately for me, I was introduced to two awesome HR professionals who helped me find my first real career role and figure out what I wanted to do. They didn’t have to help me as they did, and that stuck with me. It made me want to be like them and inspired me to help others who want to grow and develop.”
Ruff says that what she enjoys most about the work she does at Puget Sound is “the students, staff, and faculty members I have had the pleasure to work with and the fact that I have the opportunity to face and find solutions to new challenges regularly.”
Editor’s note: Serena Hawkey ’19 and Olivia Langen ‘19 were co-authors of the 40 Under 40 feature in South Sound Business. The two Loggers recently completed editorial internships at Premier Media, the publisher of South Sound Business.