Minerva Ruiz
Vice President, People & Culture
Minerva Ruiz joined the fire as Vice President, People & Culture in August 2023.
Ruiz, a dynamic and results-driven Human Resources executive, is responsible for leading all facets of the Fire’s employee-focused functions, including recruitment and onboarding, compensation and payroll, employee relations and benefits, leadership development and employee performance, and employee engagement. In addition, Ruiz is responsible for creating a strong, inclusive employee culture through the planning and development of internal trainings and events, and by serving as a champion of the Club’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, including leading the Fire’s DEI committee.
Prior to joining the Fire, Ruiz spent over a decade building a proven track record of developing and executing critical human resources initiatives. Most recently, Ruiz served as Vice President of People & Culture at Climate Pledge Arena, leading the HR efforts to support over 100 front office and nearly 2,000 union and non-union employees in hosting hundreds of annual events, including NHL and WNBA games, live concerts, and other events. Before her promotion to Vice President of People & Culture, Ruiz served as Senior Director of Human Resources with the Seattle Kraken, Kraken Community Iceplex, and Climate Pledge Arena. In this role, Ruiz built and launched all Human Resources functions and built foundational strategies, processes, and infrastructure for hundreds of new employees were joining the NHL expansion franchise. Prior to her time in Seattle, Ruiz served as an HR Business Partner with the Chicago Cubs, where in addition to managing various facets of the HR discipline such as compensation and payroll, employee engagement, and recruitment, she served as the primary HR contact for Baseball – major and minor league – and Baseball operations, assisting with player and baseball staff onboarding, work visas, and employee relations matters.
In addition to her time in sports and entertainment, Ruiz spent time in the hospitality industry at Marriott International. Ruiz served as Director of Human Resources Operations for the JW Marriott Hotel – Chicago and the Human Resources Manager for the Sheraton Grand Chicago Hotel, where she facilitated branding training for hotel staff and management, led all assets of the HR discipline, and implemented HR strategic plans consistent with each property and corporate, focusing on addressing morale, talent development, labor strategy, guest service, communications, and other key deliverables.
Originally from Chicago, Ruiz earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.