Marlene Ruffino
2008 Business Associate
The Business Associate Award acknowledges appreciation to a co-worker, partner, boss, or a coach/mentor who has encouraged or supported ABWA or one of its members. This person is someone who has personally and professionally supported an individual’s involvement in ABWA or someone from the community who has given support to the association.
Marlene is the Financial Assistance Scholarship Advisor III of Lone Star College-Tomball. She has worked diligently over several years to make sure that, upon our offer of scholarship awards to the female students of Lone Star College-Tomball (formerly Tomball Colleg,) there were adequate applications available for us to consider for the award.
In 2007, the Tomball Charter Chapter offered both the customary Outright Grant and, for the first time, three Special Scholarships. Several weeks after having notified students of the Outright Grant, Marlene realized that she had received no applications, though Spring Break and the deadline for submitting the applications were approaching. She notified the students again, actually setting the deadline a little earlier than the one we had established, to motivate the students to act, and ACT they did. Within days, she sent us over fifteen applications.
The Special Scholarships were offered to all six institutions in the Lone Star Community College. The applications were judged by the ABWA Board of Directors, so no local member knew how many applications were received and from which location. All three recipients came from Tomball College,a testimony to the consistency and vigor with which Marlene pursues her position.
When one of the students used her award for expenses not authorized for scholarship money received, Marlene did everything she could to determine where the funds had been allocated, and made no excuses for the student. She followed up frequently on the progress of having those funds returned to us, which they were.
When her schedule permits, she attends every event to which she is invited. Not only is Marlene a tireless advocate for her students, but a diligent custodian for scholarship funds that come their way and a champion for the organizations that offer them.
Past Business Associates include:
1995—Tommy Koops
1996— Wilma Jackson
1997—Jeff Holverson
1998—Jack Collins
1999 — Joan Luedke
2000 — Terry Belger
2001 — Lynne Holder
2002— Debi Aarthun
2003—Bruce Hillegeist
2004– Diane Holland
2005—Ronnie Warner
2006—Vickie Butler-Rindos
2007— Crystal Christmas
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