Ruth Jones Nichols ’96
Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Major:
{{https://www.wm.edu/majorsminors/sociology/,Sociology}}
Ruth Jones Nichols was inspired to come to William & Mary by the late Carroll F.S. Hardy, then associate vice president for student affairs. “During my conversation with her, she made me feel like my dreams were possible and that I could go to the university, create a better life for myself, and thrive while doing so,” she says.
After graduation, Ruth jumpstarted a 25-year career in the nonprofit sector and earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in social work. In her role as president & CEO of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, Ruth drew on her strong sociology background to get to the root causes of why people seek assistance from food banks. Ruth later served as chief movement officer with Feeding America.
In 2022, Ruth was appointed to serve in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in the office of public affairs to act as a strategist, thought leader and key liaison for private sector stakeholders, underrepresented community-based organizations and people with lived experience of housing instability. She is now senior advisor to Marcia Fudge, who serves as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in President Biden’s Cabinet.
Ruth uses her sociology background to guide her work as a social change advocate. “I want to be a person who brings about systemic change in society — a person who challenges the social structures and the status quo,” she says. “I want to do that in a way that levels the playing field for marginalized people who have not been represented at the table.”
