Ruth Dinerman has joined the staff at Yestermorrow Design/Build School
in Warren, VT as the organization’s first Development Director. Ruth
holds a BA from Oberlin College and an MFA in fiction from Brooklyn
College, City University of New York. She comes to Yestermorrow by a
circuitous route that’s taken her to various places in the Midwest, New
York City, China, Boston, and most recently, the Berkshires in western
Massachusetts.
She’s taught high school students who were failing in the Newark, NJ
public schools to enjoy writing, run programs to help adults prepare for
college, and taught English to Chinese undergraduate and graduate
students as well as to Chinese engineers and mechanics. After living and
working in China for four years, she settled in New England, fiercely
committed to protecting the natural world. At the Appalachian Mountain
Club, she involved volunteers from Maine to DC in stewardship projects
and advocacy to protect the region’s mountains and rivers. As she became
increasingly concerned with issues of sustainability, she’s helped
farmers increase their energy independence through efficiency and
renewable energy improvements, and created a program to teach new moms
about ways to reduce toxics in their homes to protect their babies.
Since 2001, she’s been raising money for not-for-profits, most recently,
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.
In her role as Development Director at Yestermorrow, Ruth is responsible
for creating and executing a comprehensive strategy that grows
contributions to the school, as well as developing Yestermorrow’s
Capital Campaign to expand campus facilities. She works on a variety of
fundraising and outreach activities such as alumni relations, special
events and social media campaigns.