About the Authors
Meet the People Behind RUG
Sherry Whitaker Budziak is a visionary leader in organizational and digital strategy. As the Founder and CEO of .orgSource, Sherry has helped guide hundreds of associations and nonprofits through growth, disruption, and the rapidly changing landscape of technology. Her expertise bridges the gap between strategy and humanity, offering practical pathways for leaders who want to stay relevant, resilient, and human in the digital age.
Sherry’s leadership is grounded in decades of experience and forged by personal transformation. Following the sudden loss of her husband, she channeled her grief into growth and co-created the H.E.A.R.T. Powered Leadership™ framework to help others lead through adversity and challenging times. A top keynote speaker and podcast host, she is known for blending strategic insight with empathy, candor, and humor. Sherry is passionate about empowering people to reimagine what’s possible — especially when the world turns upside down.
Kevin G. Ordoñez is the President and Managing Director of .orgSource and has partnered with Sherry for more than 20 years to help leaders modernize their organizations and embrace digital innovation, a nationally recognized thought leader in digital transformation, technology strategy, and association governance. He brings decades of experience helping mission-driven organizations align leadership, culture, and systems to accelerate innovation and sustainable growth with deep expertise in technology strategy, governance, and executive alignment. Kevin has led hundreds of successful client engagements.
Together, Sherry and Kevin bring a rare combination of practical experience, strategic insight, and compassionate, human-centered leadership. As highly sought-after speakers, consultants, and trusted collaborators, they’ve guided hundreds of organizations through transformation across nonprofit, healthcare, and professional services sectors. Their work is reshaping leadership conversations, creating a more forward-thinking, resilient, and people-focused future across industries.
Why We Wrote This Book
We’ve guided hundreds of organizations through disruption, including turnover, burnout, AI fears, and stalled strategies. And the truth? It wasn’t the tech or the plan holding the organizations back. It was the hidden rugs they were tripping over.
RUG is our way of saying:
RUG helps leaders spot what’s holding them back, reclaim their voice, and lead with H.E.A.R.T. to create real change.
The Story Behind H.E.A.R.T. Powered Leadership™
The H.E.A.R.T. Powered Leadership™ Framework was born from a moment that changed everything. On Dec. 31, 2022, Sherry lost her husband without warning. As a leading consultant, she’d spent decades guiding organizations through disruption. But this was different. This was personal. In the raw, uncertain months that followed, she and her longtime business partner, Kevin G. Ordoñez, began to see leadership in a new way: not as having all the answers, but as leading with H.E.A.R.T. — Humanize, Empower, Ascend, Reimagine, and Transform. Read the full story and discover H.E.A.R.T. Powered Leadership™ inside RUG.