Bill Ruffle has recently taken over as director of the Northern Virginia Community College Manassas Campus Math Center after being assistant director for more than two years. Ruffle, a former aspiring professional soccer player, lives with his wife and two children in Reston. He is this week's People Profile.
Number of years in the community: We will have lived here for four years this July.
Family: Wife Sheri, children Anna, 7 and Paul, 4
Education: Alfred University; M.S. in education '89, B.A. in mathematics '88
Current job/primary occupation: Director of Math Center at NVCC Manassas. I tutor all levels of math students at the community college. My main responsibility is to work with the developmental math students on their homework and tests. I try to recruit current students to help tutor in the math center. We also provide computer programs and DVDs to help our students. I think my biggest job is helping students overcome their own math anxiety issues so they can complete their required math courses and be more confident using math.
Achievements: I have two wonderful and healthy children and have been happily married for 12 years. I played college soccer and received all American status my senior year. This past October, I was inducted into the Alfred University sports hall of fame.
Activities/interests/hobbies: Sports fan, especially soccer, still play in adult soccer league in Vienna.
Favorite local restaurant or place in the community: Clydes, Glory Days, Silver Diner and Chick-Fil-A
What are your community concerns: I worry about the gang influence on our children.
What are some ideas you have on ways to improve your community: Provide more after school activities to keep kids off the street and doing constructive things.
What brought you here: Sheri and I lived in Greensboro, N.C. for nine years. We both grew up in New Jersey and wanted to be closer to home. We also wanted to move back to a more cosmopolitan area.
Community "hidden treasure": There are so many bike and walking paths. I don't think I will ever find them all.
What did you want to be when you "grew up"? I wanted to play professional soccer, and when I retired from that, I would teach.
Where do you see yourself in five years? I hope to still be working at the community college. Who knows, maybe the Reston center for NVCC will become its own campus and I may teach there.
Personal goals: I am trying to get enough graduate credits in math to become a full professor at the college.