RIC
GIARDINA is the founder and president of Spirit
Employed, a management consulting and training firm located in Los Gatos,
California near Silicon Valley. For more than 20 years, Ric has worked in
corporate America, as both an attorney and as a business executive. During that
time, he has also been actively engaged in encouraging people to express their
spiritual selves in their workplaces.
Ric designed and conducts the innovative Spirit
Employed Workshop which focuses on how employees can incorporate more of
their spiritual lives and practices in their employment. He has been very
pleased, but not truly surprised, by the reception this workshop is receiving,
both locally and nationally.
Ric is also a management consultant to corporations, public
agencies, and non-profit organizations who bring him in to assist them in
strategic planning, leadership development, and team building. He also provides
individual executive and team coaching and specially designed trainings. Clients
of Spirit Employed have included Axial Industries, Inc., the Institute of
HeartMath and its related companies such as Planetary Publications, San Jose
State University, Bay Networks, Inc., several Unity Churches, the Santa Clara
County Valley Transportation Authority, and the Santa Clara County Employee
Management Association.
Ric is a well-known and seasoned speaker who mixes humor and
practical insights. He addresses audiences on topics related to creating a more
authentic workplace through spiritually based practices and techniques.
Prior to starting Spirit Employed, Ric was the Director of
Business Relationships for Intel Corporation and is the only person to have ever
held that title. During his eight years at Intel, Ric directed Intel's worldwide
trademark, branding, and naming activities which included the creation of such
names as Pentium®, ProShare®, and OverDrive®. During this time, he also
co-designed and implemented the Intel Inside program. As his last assignment, he
managed the creation of Pandesic, a company which was a joint venture between
Intel and SAP for the purpose of developing and selling a complete hardware and
software solution to companies wishing to engage in electronic commerce on the
Internet.
His career in the high technology industry has also included
serving as the Chief Operating Officer of a software subsidiary of MIPS Computer
Systems and as Vice President, General Counsel for WordStar, Inc. Prior to this,
Ric was an attorney in private practice in San Francisco doing general business
law and consulting and insurance defense litigation. His early career began at
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a research scientist
in the Biomedical Research Division where he developed an information storage
and retrieval system for them while attending law school.
Ric started conducting workshops and trainings in 1974 and,
while at Intel, was a member of the team that designed and delivered
"Leading the Organization," Intel's weeklong course for senior
managers. He was also a frequent presenter at other Intel workshops and
trainings for managers on topics ranging from teambuilding to the role of the
manager. Ric is a member of the adjunct faculty of San Jose State University,
where he teaches courses on subjects such as promoting innovation and
creativity, management and leadership, mentoring skills, and creating a healthy
work/life balance. He has also designed and launched the University's Leadership
Certification Program.
Ric was the co-founder of the San Francisco Bar Association's
Computer Law Section and is a past board member of ADAPSO, the computer services
trade association. He has also served as president of the national Microcomputer
Software Association.
Ric is a regular guest on Seeing Beyond, a nationally
syndicated morning radio talk show originating from San Francisco. He is a
published poet and essayist, and is working on a new book about the tools for
employing spirit in the workplace.
Ric is trained in the biological sciences and in law and holds
degrees from Georgetown University and the Catholic University of America, both
in Washington, D.C. Ric was an officer in the United States Army Corps of
Engineers, where he served 11 years in the Active Reserve.
To contact
Ric Giardina:
