Ruth Stevens

Ruth has been a member of the board since 2013; she has worked on the oral history project and GGRWHC programming. Ruth received her J.D. from the University of Michigan and an MLIS from Wayne State University. She is the author of “Assistant U.S. Attorney Ella Mae Backus: A Most Important Figure in the Legal Profession in the Western District of Michigan” (Michigan Historical Review, Sept. 2016).  Ruth is a Legal Studies professor at Grand Valley State University and a trustee of the Western District of the Michigan Historical Society. She has been a tutor and mentor for students in the Grand Rapids Public Schools for many years, initially through United Way Schools of Hope.

Ruth believes that the “GGRWHC helps to discover and preserve the stories of accomplished women from diverse backgrounds who might otherwise be lost to history and who provide important role models for today’s women.”