Speakers: Human Resources Office Representatives

Roberto (Bob) Ruiz

Roberto Ruiz is currently supporting the CDC Human Resources Office as the Senior Advisor to the Director of the Talent Development and Workforce Solutions Office, Office of the Chief Operating Officer at CDC. Mr. Ruiz recently led Hurricane Maria, Irma, and Harvey recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and seven other domestic state programs. During this special advisor assignment, he led the investment of over $116M in appropriated funding for recovery efforts that included public health practices in environmental health, laboratory testing restoration, suicide prevention workshops, vector control, and newly developed disease reporting systems established on a cloud platform. His work proved invaluable since the newly recovered public health system helped manage recent earthquake and weather disasters on the island. His previous assignment was as Deputy Director for Management and Operations for the Center for Preparedness and Response at CDC.

Mr. Ruiz joined CDC as a Presidential Management Fellow in 2000 after a 23-year career with the United States Coast Guard. While in the Coast Guard, he worked in clinical settings in various technical positions, including clinical laboratory, pharmaceutical, minor surgery, medical logistics, and radiological sciences for a myriad of health care facilities.  He later served as clinical administrator for two major Coast Guard clinics and health care policy development at the US Coast Guard headquarters in Washington DC.

Mr. Ruiz has served in many managerial and increasingly complex organizations across CDC. A few of those are the National Center for Infectious Diseases, National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, National Center for Injury Prevention.  He has worked to support the Public Health and Emergency Preparedness cooperative agree¬ment after 9/11.  His work was instrumental in setting the foundation for building preparedness capacity at the state and local levels. He served in several other CDC National Centers with distinction before he was appointed to the Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program in May 2014. Mr. Ruiz is a diversity, inclusion, and health equity champion.  He is also a certified executive professional development coach with over 200 hours of coaching experience.

Ken Quintana, BA, MBA

Ken Quintana is the Director of CDC University and the Strategic Programs Office. He oversees training and talent development, competency development, workforce planning, recruitment, and human resource information technology functions and solutions. Before this position, Mr. Quintana was the Deputy Division Director in the Strategic Programs Office, where he also led talent acquisition, workforce planning, succession planning, employee engagement, all human resource information technology functions, and workforce data analytics.

Before taking on that assignment, Mr. Quintana was the deputy branch chief over the Workforce Engagement Branch in the Human Capital and Resources Management Office. He also led CDC University’s School of Leadership and Management Development, where he directed the leadership and management training curriculum for CDC. Prior to his CDC career, Mr. Quintana served in numerous capacities across the US Department of Transportation. He began his CDC career in 2008 and began his federal career in 1992.

Mr. Quintana’s background provides a wealth of expertise in human capital management and strategy, organizational development, program management, and program audit. Mr. Quintana has a BA and an MBA from New Mexico State University.

Nina P. Ooft, MBA

Nina P. Ooft joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in June 2008, serving in the Human Resources Office as an HR Specialist under the Federal Career Internship Program (FCIP).  In her current position as Supervisory Workforce Development Advisor, she supports CDC by developing recruitment strategies that improve the overall agency workforce goals in diversity and inclusion. Ms. Ooft has also served as a recruiter in the Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development, implementing cross-cutting recruitment strategies to foster CDC’s mission of improving health outcomes through a competent, sustainable, and empowered public health workforce.

Ms. Ooft educates the federal community and potential employees on the federal hiring authorities related to underrepresented groups such as students and recent graduates, veterans, persons with disabilities, historically black colleges and universities, and Hispanic serving institutions. She also served as the CDC technical advisor on the Pathways Program — a federal hiring authority designed to provide students and recent graduates with paid opportunities to work in agencies and explore federal careers while building the federal workforce.

Additionally, Ms. Ooft served as CDC’s selective placement program coordinator for persons with disabilities.  Ms. Ooft has 17 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector, primarily with persons with disabilities, to secure employment and equal living standards. Ms. Ooft holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Fayetteville State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Antonia Celeste Smalls-Sumpter, MBA

Ms. Smalls-Sumpter serves as the Lead Human Capital Advisor for the Persons with Disabilities Career Development Internship, Student Worksite Experience Program, Federal Work-Study Program, and Non-paid Work Experience by providing guidance and clarification of requirement process and paperwork.  She promotes program use with CIO leadership. Ms. Smalls-Sumpter educates the federal community and potential employees on the federal hiring authorities related to underrepresented groups such as students and recent graduates, veterans, persons with disabilities, historically black colleges and universities, and Hispanics within the government. She also serves as the CDC technical advisor on the Pathways Program — a federal hiring authority designed to provide students and recent graduates with paid opportunities to work in agencies and explore federal careers while building the federal workforce.

Additionally, she has 23 years of human resources experience working in the private sector, state government, and federal government agencies to secure equal employment opportunities.  Ms. Smalls-Sumpter holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Master of Arts in Human Resources Development.

Ryan D. Mobley

Ryan Mobley is a human resources professional with 20 years of experience in caseload management, staffing and recruiting, training and development, and interviewing. He currently serves as the Human Resources Systems Administrator at CDC, where he manages access to multiple human resource information technology systems, monitors roles and permissions, creates and revises SOPs, and conducts annual system audits.

Mr. Mobley has worn many different hats throughout his career, such as adjunct professor, where he taught courses in public speaking, career development, and motivation and leadership. Outside of the classroom, he has led corporate presentations on customer service and harassment in the workplace. In addition, he has also been a senior recruiter, office newsletter editor, career coach, and radio broadcaster.