Negocios Now

www.negociosnow.com 48 March 2023 Age: 39 Title: Vice President Organization: Wallin/Gomez Architects Ltd Joanna Ruiz is the Vice President of Wallin/Gomez Architects, where she has worked her way up since 2007. Her consistent leadership, hard work and ea- gerness to learn led her to grow within the company. She manages teams throug- hout an entire construction pro- ject with clients during design, followed by permit and cons- truction drawings with internal teams and engineers, and finally with contractors in the construc- tion phase. She has successfully completed over $180 million do- llars (construction) thus far. Her ability to re-design scope well into the construction phases and stay within budget has led to create strong work relation- ships with several clients. She is an accredited professional in Leadership in Energy and Envi- ronmental Design (LEED® AP) and consults on all aspects of sustainable design. With her vast knowledge, she started an architectural consul- ting firm in 2020 called Prism 312,LLC which is WBE and MBE certified. She hopes to grow the business and is excited to see where it will take her. She is a founding member of the Auxiliary Board for The National Museum of Mexican Art, which launched in 2015. It fosters the growth of young professionals into philanthropic leaders who volunteer and plan fundraising events that help support the museum and main- tain it free to the public. Joanna helps the museum with end- less volunteering hours, selling tickets for annual events such as the Day of the Dead Ball and Copitas fundraisers as well as securing gifts for silent auctions and raffles. Joanna is also a board mem- ber of the Center on Halsted, which is a big asset to the LGB- TQ+ community. It's important to bring awareness and shed light on the center, as it provides numerous programs, including but not limited to counseling, employment training, housing assistance and other important resources to youth, seniors, and everyone in between. Joanna received her archi- tecture degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2017. Being a first-generation US citi- zen with both parents of Mexi- can descent, she is one of the first from her extended family to receive a bachelor's degree. She now lives on the northside of Chicago with her wonderful wife Evie, who is an early childhood educator, and their cat Tigger. Joanna Ruiz Designing a new Chicago WORDS OF WISDOM: "B e your own advocate and believe in your potential. Everyone's dealt a different set of cards, but it's up to you to decide what to make of them."

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