“I first met Ken through a Conscious Capitalism C-Level Culture Roundtable that meets regularly in San Diego. Ken and I share a passion for building an engaged corporate culture. I have found Ken to be a smart, caring and progressive leader focused on driving innovation and building authentic community within Goal Structured Solutions, Inc. and his community at large. The tenets of Conscious Capitalism gives leaders like Ken voice and agency to build companies that serve as a force for good and make a positive contribution to society. The recognition of the transformative ability and ethical imperative of organizations to contribute to social good while doing well represents accurately Ken’s philosophy of leadership. Through the Ascent Program, Ken and his organization are addressing the challenging issue of higher education finance by rightly putting students at the heart of the model, and educating them about outcomes and the impact of their actions and decisions before they borrow. These are foundation stones to building an engaged and informed community of financially responsible and well educated graduates that will gain successful employment as a reward for their hard work and in return give back to society. With GS2, Ken has built a corporate culture of excellence by being mindful of the value to all the stakeholders, paying attention to matters of leadership and growing the enterprise in alignment with the core principles of conscious capitalism. Through his leadership Ken has built Goal Structured Solutions, Inc. and the Ascent Program into a company that believes in the concept of a quadruple bottom line of people, planet, profit AND purpose. Ken’s organizational values are not for sale and he recognizes the critical role those values play in positively shaping the future of our society. Ken holds his management and the entire organization to this high standard. I am honored to call him a friend. --Neville Billimoria ”
About
Activity
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It's been a privilege to help Octane reach so many milestones during my five year tenure. I'm looking forward to working with our incredibly talented…
It's been a privilege to help Octane reach so many milestones during my five year tenure. I'm looking forward to working with our incredibly talented…
Liked by Ken Ruggiero
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Last week, we had the honor of sponsoring "Collegiate Ascension," a Rocket League Esports Tournament! 🏆 We had so much fun connecting with our…
Last week, we had the honor of sponsoring "Collegiate Ascension," a Rocket League Esports Tournament! 🏆 We had so much fun connecting with our…
Liked by Ken Ruggiero
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I am thrilled to announce a strategic partnership with American Student Assistance to officially launch the new ASA Center for Career Navigation at…
I am thrilled to announce a strategic partnership with American Student Assistance to officially launch the new ASA Center for Career Navigation at…
Liked by Ken Ruggiero
Experience & Education
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Ascent Funding
View Ken’s full experience
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Volunteer Experience
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Board Member, President
San Diego Junior Theatre
- 9 years
Arts and Culture
San Diego Junior Theatre's mission is to provide engaging, innovative and high-quality theatre education and productions to enhance the lives of children of all ages, cultural backgrounds, abilities and levels of interest.
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Advisory Board Member
Conscious Capitalism, Inc. - San Diego Chapter
- Present 7 years 6 months
Economic Empowerment
Conscious Capitalism is a global movement co-founded by John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods and Raj Sisodia PhD, renowned author and business leader. Conscious Capitalism is a way of thinking about capitalism and business that better reflects where we are in the human journey, the state of our world today, and the innate potential of business to make a positive impact on the world. Every business has a purpose that includes, but is more than, making money. Successful businesses are ones that…
Conscious Capitalism is a global movement co-founded by John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods and Raj Sisodia PhD, renowned author and business leader. Conscious Capitalism is a way of thinking about capitalism and business that better reflects where we are in the human journey, the state of our world today, and the innate potential of business to make a positive impact on the world. Every business has a purpose that includes, but is more than, making money. Successful businesses are ones that balance profit, employee interests, external stakeholders and their communities they operate in.
Honors & Awards
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EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist - 2018
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Recommendations received
3 people have recommended Ken
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I love being part of connected leadership teams. Recently I was inspired by an ice breaker from Ken Ruggiero (he is famous for his ice breakers that…
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We are grateful for our strong partnership with Stand Together Ventures Lab! Together, we aim to open more opportunities for students to pursue…
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We've had an exciting first half of the year at Goal with 3 clients who are first time issuers. We partner with our clients in all aspects, taking…
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Yesterday I had the opportunity to be part of a delegation that presented to the Department of Treasury and Office of the Vice President. We shared…
Yesterday I had the opportunity to be part of a delegation that presented to the Department of Treasury and Office of the Vice President. We shared…
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Higher education aspires to be the "great equalizer." But according to my analysis of college return on investment (ROI), colleges serving mostly…
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NASFAA 2024: Key Takeaways, Inspiring Moments and Insights! Kumba McGill, Ascent’s Relationship Manager, recently attended the National…
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Should you attend college part-time? If you enroll part-time, it may be easier to take a job while pursuing that degree, which can help defray some…
Should you attend college part-time? If you enroll part-time, it may be easier to take a job while pursuing that degree, which can help defray some…
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I'm very honored to have received this award. As CEO I'm just lucky to be the face of our company and mission; the award really goes to the 300…
I'm very honored to have received this award. As CEO I'm just lucky to be the face of our company and mission; the award really goes to the 300…
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U.S. Bank 🤝 Greenlight. We’re thrilled to announce that eligible U.S. Bank families will now have complimentary access to Greenlight’s award-winning…
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I can't believe that the AccessLex Grant program is 10 years old--time sure flies! It seems like just yesterday that we awarded our inaugural grants…
I can't believe that the AccessLex Grant program is 10 years old--time sure flies! It seems like just yesterday that we awarded our inaugural grants…
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We look forward to seeing you at the NASFAA conference in Milwaukee, WI this week! Visit Kim McNealy and Kumba McGill at booth #210 to learn…
We look forward to seeing you at the NASFAA conference in Milwaukee, WI this week! Visit Kim McNealy and Kumba McGill at booth #210 to learn…
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The College Scorecard--the major national source of data on college students' earnings after graduation--just published a big update. We now have…
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