Ruth has spent more than 30 years in nonprofit leadership, working for national, regional, and local organizations. Previously, she served as Executive Director of JDRF Knoxville, Executive Director of ​​Koinonia Foundation, and CEO of BETA Center. BETA is a residential and onsite education program for pregnant and parenting teens and their children. Earlier in her career, Ruth served as COO of a 120-bed high-lethality domestic violence shelter. She has also worked with the Central Florida Zoological Society and Central Florida Police Athletic League.

Ruth’s nonprofit work began with Girl Scouts, where she is a lifelong member. Girl Scouts was an early adopter of Peter Drucker’s management by objective system. Over Ruth’s 16 years with the organization, she gained exposure to and a deep understanding of nonprofit operations principles including budgeting, performance management, and strategic planning. Her passion for system processes, development, and evaluation dates back to her first job out of college at the State of Georgia’s Department of Audits. She served as a systems analyst for five years. 

Ruth is an experienced facilitator who formerly served as an Adjunct Faculty Member at Rollins College’s Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership.