Rafael Suarez

Rafael Suarez was named Director of Human Resources in 2019. He has 14 years of experience aligning Human Resources with the company goals and vision. He works alongside the leadership team and our managers to ensure our recruiting, hiring, compensation, benefits, company culture, and employee development programs are successful. He provides guidance, coaching and support for employee-related matters. Rafael joined Wharton-Smith’s HR Department in February 2005 as an HR Assistant. He was promoted to Field Resources Coordinator in 2007, and HR Manager in 2015. Prior to joining Wharton-Smith, Rafael spent some of his high school summers working in residential construction with his family. While going to the University of Central Florida (UCF), he worked at the library as a circulation desk supervisor and was also an intern at Siemens working in their Accounting department. In addition to his professional experience, Rafael graduated from UCF with two bachelor’s degrees — one in Management Information Systems and one in General Management. He also obtained the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification in 2019. Wharton-Smith found Rafael during his first day volunteering at Christian Help, an organization that prevents homelessness by helping unemployed people find jobs. The director at Christian Help received a call from the recruiter at Wharton-Smith, who was looking for someone who would be able to translate materials into Spanish for the HR department during Benefits Enrollment. During college, he volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club to assist with reference calling at their office. He has been involved with different charities to help the community, including Matthew’s Hope to help the homeless and helping Kids House with HR support. Rafael lives in Sanford, Florida, while his parents, sister, and nephews live nearby in Winter Springs. He grew up at his parents’ Winter Springs home after moving to Florida from Puerto Rico when he was eight years old.