MIAMI, July 11, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Richard Lawrence Valdes, a self-employed artist and poet and former Crew Leader II for the City of Miami, has been named a Worldwide Who's Who Professional of the Year in poetry.
While inclusion in Worldwide Who's Who is an honor, only a small selection of members in each discipline are chosen for this distinction. These special honorees are distinguished based on their professional accomplishments, academic achievements, leadership abilities, years of service, and the credentials they have provided in association with their Worldwide Who's Who membership.

After earning a bachelor's degree in administration and psychology from Florida International University (FIU) in 2006, Mr. Valdes pursued a career as a crew leader for the City of Miami. Providing excellent service, he managed operations, including landscaping, emergency services and road and sidewalk improvements, and dispatched workers. After a four-year career in civic services, he moved on to pursue his true passion full-time—writing. His love for writing stemmed from his early struggles during childhood. Writing served as a means of escape from reality, eventually allowing him to develop a forte in the field. Inspired by a poem about the life of a FIU Golden Panther, Mr. Valdes transformed his newfound creativity into poetry. An artist with a thirst for knowledge, he was determined that poetry would help him experience professional and personal growth. He has written many poems, enabling him to experience various other artistic outlets, such as painting and sculpting. In fact, he recently donated one of his paintings to the Clinton Foundation. An accomplished artist, he attributes his success to his hard work, determination, listening skills and desire to make a difference in the lives of others. He also credits Han Hsuan Change, a gifted artist from Taiwan who serves as his inspiration. In the near future, Mr. Valdes plans to write poems about the concept of technological evolution and conduct programs in computer graphics.

A reputable member of his community, Mr. Valdes received the Civic Management Award from Florida International University and made the Dean's List. He was also honored with a Commendation Medal from the U.S. Army. He retains professional and charitable associations with the National Honor Society, the Local Veterans Association, Relay for Life, the American Cancer Society and Habitat for Humanity International. In his spare time, Mr. Valdes enjoys writing and conducting research.

For more information about him, visit http://www.richardlvaldes.com.

About Worldwide Who's Who
With over 500,000 members representing every major industry, Worldwide Who's Who is a powerful networking resource that enables professionals to outshine their competition, in part through effective branding and marketing. Worldwide Who's Who employs similar public relations techniques to those utilized by Fortune 500 companies, making them cost-effective for members who seek to take advantage of its career enhancement and business advancement services.

Worldwide Who's Who membership provides individuals with a valuable third-party endorsement of their accomplishments, and gives them the tools needed to brand themselves and their businesses effectively. In addition to publishing biographies in print and electronic form, it offers an online networking platform where members can establish new professional relationships.

For more information, please visit http://www.worldwidewhoswho.com.

Contact:
Ellen Campbell
Director, Media Relations
[email protected]

# # #