Gwen Ruta

Vice President, Programs

Areas of expertise: Corporate partnerships, antibiotic resistance, business and the environment, EDF Climate Corps, fleet vehicles, food and beverage, Green Portfolio Project, Green Supply Chain, Innovation Exchange, nanotechnology, paper and packaging, private equity and financial services

Work

Gwen Ruta is Vice President of Programs at Environmental Defense Fund, and her role is to ensure that EDF delivers world-class execution of its strategies to protect human health and the environment.

Gwen builds clear shared goals among the EDF program staff, ensures that resources support strategic priorities, and works to embed management practices that allow EDF to deliver transformational results. Her responsibilities include program planning, execution and adaptation; budget development and execution; management and staff development, and new opportunity assessment.

Previously, Ms. Ruta held the position of Vice President, Corporate Partnerships at EDF. There, she spearheaded EDF’s work with multinational companies to accelerate environmental innovation in business products, services and operations. Ranked #1 for effective environmental partnerships by the Financial Times, Ms. Ruta’s team kicked off transformations in market sectors from shipping to retail to fleets. Notable initiatives included slashing supply chain greenhouse gas emissions with Walmart, creating a market for hybrid trucks with FedEx, and launching an innovative business internship program to catalyze energy efficiency in business.

Interviews & features

Background

Prior to joining Environmental Defense Fund, Gwen was Vice President at Metcalf & Eddy, an international environmental engineering firm. She has also held senior management positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Gwen has authored numerous articles on environmental issues and is a frequent speaker at business conferences. She is on the Board of Directors of the Environmental League of Massachusetts and the Erb Institute at the University of Michigan, and was recently named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Finance by Treasury and Risk magazine.

Degrees

  • M.P.A., Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government
  • B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia

Updates on Gwen's Work

  • Gwen Ruta

    Gwen Ruta

Contact

Boston office