N.C. A&T, Martin and Ruff Earn Triad Business Journal Leaders in Diversity Awards

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (May 31, 2024) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. and Chief Diversity Officer Del L. Ruff are among the honorees in Triad Business Journal’s fourth annual Leaders in Diversity Awards.

The awards celebrate companies and individuals who have worked to establish and advance diversity and inclusion efforts in their workplaces and communities.

Martin is this year’s Legacy Award winner, while Ruff is being honored as a Leader in Diversity and N.C. A&T is among four Nonprofit/Government Agency Outstanding Diversity & Inclusion honorees.

Martin is the second A&T alumnus to receive the Legacy Award, following retired N.C. Supreme Court Justice Henry E. Frye, who received the inaugural award in 2023.

After 15 years leading his alma mater, Martin will retire following the end of the school year. He also was chancellor of Winston-Salem State University, where he served from 2000 to 2006, and chief academic officer for the University of North Carolina System, where he served from 2006 to 2009.

Ruff is an accomplished thought leader and professional with more than 20 years of experience advocating for diversity, inclusion, accessibility and belonging. Before joining A&T’s Division of Human Resources in 2021, he was senior director of workforce and education with American Institute of Architects in Washington, D.C., and previously served as director of Public School Forum of North Carolina. He also has led diversity and equity work with universities, including Wake Forest University School of Medicine, community colleges and K-12 schools.

A&T recently celebrated the more than 1,500 undergraduate, 200-plus master’s and almost 60 doctoral students who became members of the Class of 2024. The university fosters an environment of mutual respect that promotes cross-cultural understanding that has contributed to its status as the nation’s largest historically Black college or university for 10 consecutive years.

Triad Business Journal sought nominations for organizations and individuals who have gone above and beyond to bolster equality across all areas of diversity, including age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion and socio-economic backgrounds. For purposes of the awards, diversity was defined as having people of diverse backgrounds in the workforce and in management. Inclusion means that those diverse people have a voice in the planning and operations of the company or organization and engagement across all levels of the organization.

All winners will be honored at an event Thursday, June 27, in the A&T Student Center’s Willie A. Deese Ballroom, 1403 John W. Mitchell Drive, Greensboro.