The RHIZE Team

The Rhize leadership team is a collective group of dreamers with a unique skill set who joined the community and immediately saw its potential. We believe in the importance of providing a safe and supportive place for all those looking for jobs.

Giovanna Ventola

Founder & CEO, (she/her)

In 4th grade, Giovanna choreographed a dance to Mandy Moore's hit song "Candy" and bravely asked her teacher if she could perform it for the class. To her surprise, she scored the prime time slot: Friday afternoon, after recess, on the alphabet rug. When it was her time to shine, she set up her lime green boombox and danced her little heart out.

After a six-year professional career in the performing arts, Giovanna brought her mainstage energy to the boardroom, adapting her storytelling skills to thrive in the corporate world.

Fast forward to now, after navigating three layoffs and a whole lot of life in between, Giovanna channeled her inner 9 year old confidence and took to TikTok to share her job search story. She hoped to connect with a handful of people in the same spot but ended up reaching many more.

Giovanna is also the founder of Rhize, where she continues to inspire and lead by example, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and social responsibility.

Shoutout to Mrs. Gessing and everyone else who’s supported her delusional confidence along the way.

Leadership Team

  • Andrea Burton

    (she/her)

    In 1999, 5th grade Andrea took a website design class at the University of Virginia's Saturday Enrichment Program. After creating a site called "All About Andrea (& the Spice Girls)," she sought permission to redesign her elementary school’s website, successfully bringing a student perspective online. Her passion for aesthetics and functionality has been evident ever since.

    Andrea spent 13 years as an instructional designer in secondary schools, focusing on creating instructional guidelines and materials for teachers and students. She also provided training using various modalities, emphasizing usability and accessibility. This experience honed the skills essential for her career transition into UX/UI Design and Learning & Development.

    At Rhize, Andrea leverages her expertise in UX/UI Design, branding, and building professional communities to shape the identity and brand of Rhize.

  • Armando Diaz

    (he/him)

    Armando brings nearly 15-years of corporate communications and public relations experience working for and on behalf of major global companies and brands–like EY, Pearson Education, Goldman Sachs, and General Assembly, among others. He has extensive experience providing strategic communications counsel and support to CEOs, Global DEI Officers, Talent Leaders and Public Policy/Government Affairs executives. As part of his external communications background, he has worked with top-tier print, online and broadcast reporters to help his clients’ and previous employers’ messages and narratives break through a 24/7 news cycle.

    At Rhize, Armando oversees External Communications & PR efforts that help to position Rhize and its Founder, Giovanna Ventola, as the newest workplace, hiring and jobs experts changing how job seekers navigate their career journeys.

Joining the Rhize Team

While we are not currently adding roles to our leadership team, we’d love for you to become a member of the Rhize crew!