Ruth W. Messinger is the President of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the world’s leading Jewish organization working to end poverty and realize human rights in the developing world. Ruth came to AJWS in 1998 after a 20-year career in public service in New York City. Ruth served on the Obama administration’s Task Force on Global Poverty and Development and currently sits on the State Department’s Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group.

Ruth is the single most influential leader today who is mobilizing the American Jewish community to support global human rights—particularly for women, children, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. A tireless activist and human rights visionary, Ruth is a leading voice for the rights and empowerment of women in the developing world, in the United States, and in faith-based communities around the globe.

Ruth has been honored for her inspirational work by many national Jewish organizations and has received honorary degrees from four major American rabbinical seminaries. She was named by The Jerusalem Post as the sixth most influential Jew in the world of a list of 50, and by The Huffington Post as one of the 10 most inspiring women religious leaders in 2012.

Ruth lectures widely on diverse social and global justice issues and is an active member of her congregation, the Society for the Advancement of Judaism, and serves on the boards of National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, Hazon, United to End Genocide, Interaction, and Surprise Lake Camp.

She received a B.A. from Radcliffe College and an M.S.W. from the University of Oklahoma. She is married to Andrew Lachman, has three children, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Jewish, Judaism, For Jewish Groups, Jewish Culture & Heritage, Human Rights, Homelessness & Poverty, Developing Countries, Global Economy, Global Issues Activists, Women & Gender Issues, Empowerment, Women in Society, Women's Rights,