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Born in Huelva, Rocío Ruiz joined politics in the last Andalusian elections with the background of a long career of almost three decades in teaching and public management. With a degree in Educational Sciences, she has directed the Pérez Mercader Secondary Education Institute in Aljaraque for fourteen years, where she has obtained recognition from the educational community and civil society. Previously, Ella Ruiz taught in various Andalusian centers, teaching Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary and Baccalaureate education classes. In her career, her experience in preferential education centers and in special educational areas, such as the Onuba school in the Torrejón neighborhood in Huelva, stands out. Experience that has endowed her with a particular sensitivity towards vulnerable groups and knowledge of their needs. In addition, she has been coordinator of the Equality and Coeducation Plan in the educational field, as well as coordinator of mediation programs in the school field for more than 8 years. On the other hand, she has extensive experience in the reeducation of minors in shelters. Rocío Ruiz has also participated in European projects for the exchange of experiences with European centers on non-sexist education. In addition, she is a member of the Labyrinth Foundation in Huelva for integration and assistance to people with disabilities and a collaborator with the "From family to family" program of the Aspapronias association, a network of parents who support families with children with disabilities. In the government of change of the Junta de Andalucía, Rocío Ruiz acts as guarantor of social and equality policies, with special attention to labor conciliation and full equality of men and women in all areas.

I am a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Utrecht University.

In my research, I focus on how and why employees who are different than most of their colleagues (i.e., different than the norm) feel less included. In my studies, employees can indicate how exactly they are different (e.g., personality, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation), and I find that as employees indicate differences on more dimensions, they feel less included. For example, employees who are different on both ethnicity and gender feel less included than employees who are different on only ethnicity or only gender.

Furthermore, I find that the organizational climate is an important factor: In an inclusive climate, everyone feels included, regardless of their dissimilarities.