Sarah Ruf Spotlight - The New and Former Communications Director
By Jason Snead, Research and Communication Specialist
Sarah Ruf describes herself as enthusiastic, a community builder, and loves meeting new people - just what the Council needs. Sarah is originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and moved to Arizona 11 years ago after she finished college to take a job as a newspaper reporter in the City of Maricopa. Sarah speaks two languages, Spanish and English. She wants to learn American Sign Language, as well. Sarah is very active in her church, Phoenix Camelback Seventh-day Adventist, and helps lead the youth ministry.
Sarah went to Southern Adventist University where she received her bachelor’s degree in Spanish. At Southern Adventist University, students have opportunities to spend a semester or year as full-time missionaries or to participate in short-term trips through student missions and humanitarian engagement activities – which is exactly what Sarah did. She spent a year in South America learning Spanish. Sarah wants to become a dance instructor in the next three months (she probably picked up some dance moves like the tango in Argentina).
For readers who don't know, Sarah was the Council’s Communications Director from 2016-2021 and we are delighted to have her back. That said, one burning question that everybody has is – Why did you want to come back after your brief stint elsewhere? Sarah says, “Advocacy is important to me and that includes all types. And I admire the focus the Council puts on self-advocacy and real inclusion. Because they don't just talk the talk, the Council members, staff, and the people who work on the grants out in the communities, live and breathe and walk the walk.” Sarah is looking forward to working on the “big picture” again. She mentions that working in direct services with LifeWell, a behavioral health provider, was a valuable experience that she believes will help her accomplish new goals with the Council.
Sarah believes that one of the major barriers in the intellectual and developmental disabilities community is getting different communities, agencies, and systems to communicate, helping build the connections that need to happen, so that information silos are torn down. Which is what she loves doing.
If Sarah had a magic wand, she said she would put as many counselors as needed in the right places to help people have someone to talk to and feel like they belong. She recognizes the need for people to process things from everyday life that are frustrating or from their past. She thinks that would make a tremendous difference in healing our world.
If it wasn’t already evident, Sarah is excited to work with the Council again and is looking forward to new adventures. That feeling is definitely shared by Council members and her colleagues on the staff.
