Ruth is Cree from Wemindji on her mother’s side and mixed-European on her father’s side. She is the Director of Indigenous Initiatives with the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria and has extensive experience working in Indigenous post-secondary education, particularly in Indigenous student affairs and community engagement. In her current role, Ruth facilitates Indigenous community consultations, engages in strategic planning for Indigenous programming and student services, and works with various teams to ensure that local Indigenous laws and protocols are recognized and upheld, specifically in institutional spaces that have traditionally ignored and/or banned these practices.
Ruth holds a Bachelor of Physical and Health Education, specialized in Health Promotion Studies from Laurentian University, a Bachelor of Education from Nipissing University, a Certificate of Intercultural Studies from the University of British Columbia, and a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies focused on Indigenous leadership in post-secondary institutions from the University of Victoria. She currently serves on the board for the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness.