She has an BA in Psychology and Latin American Studies from Mount Holyoke College and an MBA from Bryant University. She has a certification from Boston College in Leadership for Change and a Digital Marketing Certification from Yale University. She lives off campus with her husband, Asante K. Mendes, M.D. and their four children Isabel ’23, Ezra, Sarai and Matias. In addition to her background in Marketing, Ruth held roles in Human Resources, Organizational Effectiveness, and Pharmaceutical Sales. She’s been an active member of the Greater Hartford Chapter of Jack and Jill, Inc. for 10 years and has served on the executive board as Community Service Chair and Editor for 8 years. She’s been recognized nationally for her community service involvement and was the Greater Hartford Chapter’s 2019 – 2020 Distinguished Mother. Ruth is fluent in Spanish and enjoys traveling, outdoor sports, dancing and is a second degree black belt in taekwondo.