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Ruth Shoemaker Wood

Managing Director, Storbeck Search

Article

Ruth Shoemaker Wood brings a distinctive blend of scholarly training and practical experience to her nuanced understanding of the higher education landscape. With a focus on the college presidency and cultural change within small liberal arts institutions, she brings a commitment to advancing knowledge in academia and the ability to merge theoretical insights with real-world applications to foster effective leadership and cultural transformation in higher education.

Representative higher education clients include the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, University of Chicago, NYU, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, George Washington University, Boston University, Boston College, Rutgers University, Drew University, Williams College, Wagner College, Lawrence University, Kalamazoo College, Kean University, TCNJ, Lehigh University, and Rosemont College.

Recent independent school clients include The Lawrenceville School, Choate Rosemary Hall, Peddie School, Chadwick School, Germantown Academy, Mount Vernon School, and Park School Baltimore.

Ruth’s book, Transforming Campus Culture: Frank Aydelotte’s Honors Experiment at Swarthmore College, was published in 2012 by the University of Delaware Press.

Ruth previously served as Assistant Dean of Students at New York University’s College of Arts and Science. Ruth also worked as a consultant to educational institutions experiencing organizational change and strategic planning challenges.

Ruth has taught in Higher Education graduate programs at NYU, Penn, CUNY, and Rider University, where she has developed courses including The College Presidency, Leadership in Higher Education, Research Methods, Campus Environments, History of American Colleges and Universities, Small Liberal Arts Colleges, and Student Affairs Administration.

Updated October 2024