ABOUT RUSCELLA IMMERSIVE
We didn't
start a company.
We continued
a mission.
THE ORIGIN
The blueprint already existed.
We just decided to hand it to the world.
For decades, JJ Ruscella built things that didn't exist yet. The first immersive learning degrees. The first IEEE taxonomy for immersive experience design. A national roadmap for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. An immersive platform for healthcare training now used across the industry.
Then an Apple Inc. education representative visited the studio JJ had built at Shenandoah University — and called it years ahead of anything else in production anywhere in the country.
That was the moment. Not a business plan. A realization: if one institution could be years ahead, every institution could be. You might be the next one. Ruscella Immersive was born to make that happen.
THE PATH WE”VE WALKED
This is the provenance
behind your guide.
These aren't credentials to impress you. They're evidence that the path you're about to take has been mapped, tested, and proven. You're not the first — which means you won't have to figure it out alone.
FIRST IN THE FIELD
The first immersive learning degrees in the country
JJ Ruscella built the first immersive learning degree programs at the University of Central Florida before the market knew it needed them. The path your institution is about to walk was first cleared here.
INNOVATION ORIGIN
Virtual City Brain Trust — Virginia Governor's Smart Community Initiative
The founding team first worked together serving Governor Northam's initiative — where they built a virtual marketplace for the Commonwealth of Virginia. They've been building at scale before it was expected.
ACADEMIC AUTHORITY
The first IEEE-published taxonomy on immersive experience design
Co-authored by JJ Ruscella — the foundational framework that the entire field now builds upon. When your guide tells you something works, this is why you can trust it.
GOVERNMENT TRUST
National immersive learning roadmap — U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security
Ri's founding team developed a national strategy for immersive learning deployment with the DHS. The scale and rigor of that work is now yours to benefit from.
YOUR GUIDES
Three founders.
One mission.
We didn't build Ruscella Immersive to keep the blueprint to ourselves. We built it because every institution deserves what we’ve spent decades learning — and because the future workforce depends on institutions like yours being ready.
Joanne Ruscella
Managing Member · CFO & COO · Co-Founder
Joanne turns bold visions into fundable, scalable, sustainable realities. Her background in operations, finance, and large-scale program development means your journey has someone making sure every piece ships — on time, on budget, and built to last.
JJ Ruscella
Member · CEO · Co-Founder
JJ built the first immersive learning degrees, the first IEEE taxonomy, and some of the first studios in the country — long before anyone was watching. Now he brings that experience to your institution. The future he already lives in is yours to step into.
Tim Howes
Member · CCO · Co-Founder
Tim leads creative direction, immersive design, and content development for Ri and its partners. He's the reason every experience your team creates will feel human-centered, narrative-driven, and worth putting on a headset for.
The blueprint is ready.
Are you?
One conversation with the founders. No pitch. No pressure. Just an honest look at where your institution is, where it could go, and exactly what it would take to get there.