HR Professional of the Year
SSRH director honored by NORAK
Cindy Ruffing, director of human resources at Northwest Health Physicians’ Specialty Hospital and Siloam Springs Regional Hospital, recently received the HR Professional of the Year Award from Northwest Arkansas Human Resources Association (NOARK).
With more than 25 years of leadership experience across a variety of industries, along with years of experience as an entrepreneur, Ruffing provides human resource strategies with business growth and performance. She shares her experiences as a frequent speaker at human resource and workforce conferences statewide.
“I am honored to receive this recognition and serve the HR Profession,” Ruffing said. “HR is a challenging and rewarding career. Navigating the landscape of today’s workforce requires innovation, passion and commitment. I’m blessed to work with a great team of leaders and employees at Northwest Health who display these values every day.”
Ruffing has a master’s degree in organizational management, has been certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources by the HR Certification Institute and a Senior Certified Professional by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM). Her recent recognition includes NOARK Member of the Year in 2016, national grant winner of the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration in 2017 and 2018 Manager of the Year Northwest Health Physicians’ Specialty Hospital. Ruffing currently serves as president elect to the Northwest Arkansas SHRM Chapter, education committee chair for American Society for Health Care Human Resources Administration and is a past board member of the Chamber of Commerce in Siloam Springs where she resides with her husband, two children, two rescue dogs and a gecko.
NOARK has been providing service to the Human Resources community of Northwest Arkansas since Sept. 2, 1971. NOARK is a not-forprofit organization with a membership of more than 300 human resource professionals, with more than 225 companies represented.