Ruth Messinger is the president and executive director of the international development agency American Jewish World Service (AJWS). She’s an active member of the synagogue and acts on the boards of several non-profit organizations. Messinger is also a visiting professor at Hunter College where she teaches urban policy and politics. She is known for her prolific work pertaining to the public school system in New York and her constant fight to improve the higher education conditions. For the past seven years, Messinger was named one of “The 50 Most Influential American Jews” of the year by The Forward.