Barbara Ruffino, M.A.

Ms. Ruffino, has more than 30 years of experience in management consulting, organizational development, and strategic planning. She has served as a senior government official at the federal and state levels and is experienced in assisting Corporate Directors and Officers in developing programs and activities designed to enhance employee and organizational performance. Her work at Cygnus includes providing human capital, organizational development, health systems policy, research and development, management consulting, and technical assistance services to our clients. 

Her recent contract work for Cygnus includes serving as Project Director for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ (NIAID) Office of Workforce Effectiveness and Resources project. She oversaw a staff of some 40 Executive Leadership Coaches, Facilitators, and organizational development professionals that provided strategic, programmatic, and operational support. She supervised the development and execution of more than 200 offerings to support NIAID’s missions and goals; support included design and development of formal course presentations, one-on-one executive coaching services, organizational consulting services and interventions, program evaluation, focus groups, and needs assessment services. 

Previously, Ms. Ruffino served as the Cabinet Director and head of the Department of Aging for the State of Rhode Island, as Human Resources Officer for several large and small corporations, and directed large-scale change management projects, including a $90 million technology project for a major financial institution with more than 400 participants in 52 locations. She has extensive healthcare policy, research, and development experience as the Executive Director of a successful nonprofit healthcare delivery system demonstration project with 3 major commercial insurers, and as the Chief Operating Officer of a nonprofit clinical laboratory accreditation organization. In the latter position, she was responsible for the development and implementation of a Web-based accreditation system for tracking and monitoring physician office and hospital laboratory compliance with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services requirements. 

Ms. Ruffino received her M.A. in Psychology from Columbia University and her B.A. in Sociology from Hood College. She also holds a Senior Executives in State and Local Government certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, as well as the Babson Executive Education certificate for Human Resources Executives. 

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