About: Ruth Wooden, President, Public Agenda
Biography: Ruth Wooden is the president of Public Agenda, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization devoted to innovative public opinion research and public engagement , working to strengthen our democracy's capacity to tackle tough public policy issues. A former president of the Advertising Council, Ms. Wooden currently serves as chair of the board of Civic Ventures and as a member of the boards of Research!America, Teachers Count , Independent Sector and Demos . She serves on a number of advisory committees and was a former Director of CARE and the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. Ms. Wooden attended Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, and she received a B.A. in Sociology and History from the University of Minnesota. In 1994, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Northeastern University. She is the recipient of United Jewish Appeal’s Maxwell Dane Humanitarian Award; Advertising Woman of the Year; the Prudential Prize in Non-Profit Leadership and the Matrix Award from New York Women in Communication.