has spent over 30 years working at the intersection of community building, writing, and art, now as Executive Director of the National Book Foundation. Ruth previously had the pleasure of leading organizations in Washington, DC; New Orleans, LA; Cincinnati, OH; and, most recently, in Seattle, WA, as Executive Director of Seattle Arts & Lectures. An ardent fan of dogs and coffee, she served as a fiction judge for the 2019 National Book Awards, and holds an MFA in poetry from UNC-Greensboro, and a BS in Foreign Service and an MA in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University.