Nessie (Vanessa) Ruiz is a Vice President and Operations Director at Upstander Project. She is proficient in Spanish. Colleagues describe her as "I met Nessie in the Fall of 2019 before I taught my first Tech Goes Home class. She was a very supportive and pleasant person who helped ease and alleviate any concerns I had about teaching this new programming at my company. I have found Nessie to be one of those great people who is always there for you. Whether you have a question, a concern, or feedback, Nessie is receptive, encouraging, and always goes above and beyond. She's one of those people that it's always a great experience to talk to. Nessie makes you feel important and she supports wholeheartedly." and "I worked with and directly reported to Nessie for three summers at Belvior Fine and Performing Art Camp. Nessie was friendly, outgoing, and welcoming to all staff and campers. She took the time to get to know everyone and create a community for the new art instructors in the unique and surprisingly stressful environment of being entirely secluded and involved in camp life for eight weeks. Nessie is a dedicated leader who leads by example and works diligently to get tasks accomplished. In addition, she cares deeply for her colleagues and students. Nessie demonstrated this by advocating for the final showcase of the campers' art to be treated like a gallery opening evening activity that showcased the hard work of the instructors and campers in the fine arts department. Any organization would be lucky to have her, and I recommend her without hesitation."