Tri-C Trustee Honored by Cleveland Foundation

Victor Ruiz wins 2024 Homer C. Wadsworth Award for community service

Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) Trustee Victor Ruiz was honored as the 2024 winner of the Homer C. Wadsworth Award during the Cleveland Foundation's annual meeting this week.

The award recognizes Cleveland-area nonprofit and public leaders who demonstrate ingenuity, vision and creativity in their roles, unifying and improving their communities.

Ruiz served as president and CEO of Esperanza Inc. for 15 years before announcing he would step down in June. Esperanza is a Cleveland-based nonprofit that focuses on education in Northeast Ohio's Hispanic/Latinx communities.

"(Ruiz's) leadership and advocacy have transformed the lives of thousands of families in Northeast Ohio's Hispanic Community," said Cleveland Foundation Board Chairperson Constance Hill-Johnson while presenting the award to Ruiz.

Ruiz has served on the Tri-C Board of Trustees since 2012 and is a former Board Chair. A native of Puerto Rico, he moved to Cleveland more than four decades ago and has been heavily involved in community causes – particularly those that impact the region's Hispanic/Latinx population – throughout his life.

"This is a well-deserved honor for Trustee Ruiz," said Tri-C President Michael A. Baston. "We at Tri-C are grateful for his leadership and contributions to our College, and for the role he played in impacting many students' lives through the Tri-C Access Center located at Esperanza Inc."

Ruiz has advocated for access to education in the area's Hispanic/Latinx community. In an interview with cleveland.com last year, he said:

"We need more institutions and systems to provide translated materials, Spanish language interpretation, more Hispanic/Latinx staff, and educate their employees (including leadership) on the Hispanic/Latinx community and our specific needs. We also need more Hispanic/Latinx leaders in the C-suites (top management positions), which is where meaningful and high-impact decisions are made."

July 19, 2024

By Erik Cassano, 216-987-3577 or erik.cassano@tri-c.edu