Ruth Williams was named President and CEO of Community Initiatives in 2017, after serving on the board for nearly eight years, including two years as chair. More than anything else, Ruth loves the diversity of causes served by Community Initiatives. She says, “In one day, I can work on childcare programs, the environment, and human rights. I’ve always had a hard time deciding on what part of humanity to focus on and at Community Initiatives I don’t have to choose! By freeing a diverse set of nonprofit leaders from the nuts and bolts of nonprofit work, I know we are enabling hundreds of people to focus their passions on the communities they serve.”

Ruth brings twenty years of experience in philanthropy, grants administration, financial analysis, and program development to Community Initiatives. She has served as Chief Operating Officer at the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, an eleven-acre campus visited by over 2,000 people daily. There she managed a fourteen-person leadership team and was responsible for 250 union and non-union employees in multiple programs and operations functions.

Over the past fifteen years, Ruth has served on more than a dozen nonprofit boards. Currently, she serves on the board of Black Funders Network (BFN), a membership organization that addresses the impact of racial disparity within philanthropic institutions and African American communities in the Bay Area.