FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 2026
Contact: Emily Wheeler, RepresentUs, press@represent.us
Boston, MA - Philanthropist and former executive Rusty Rueff has been added to the board of directors for RepresentUs Education Fund, the nation’s largest grassroots organization working to counter corruption and improve democracy.
“We are thrilled Rusty is a part of this movement,” says RepresentUs CEO Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno. “Rusty’s innovative thinking, energy, and vast knowledge about technology, the arts, entrepreneurship, and more, will be tremendous assets to RepresentUs at a critical time. With corruption and abuse of power on the rise, we need a powerful movement for accountability. Rusty understands what we’re up against, and what we need to build instead.”
Rusty invests in, advises and governs startups. He was appointed by President Obama to The President’s Advisory Committee for the Arts for The Kennedy Center and was Coordinating National Co-Chair for Technology for Obama and on the Executive Team for Innovators for Biden. He was on the founding boards of Glassdoor and HireVue, and was CEO of SNOCAP, Inc. through the sale of the company in 2008. Prior, he was an EVP at Electronic Arts (EA) and worked 10 years for the PepsiCo companies Rusty also spent six years in commercial radio as an on-air personality.
Rusty holds an Honorary Doctorate from Hanover College, an M.S. in Counseling, and a B.A. in Radio & TV from Purdue University. In 2003, he was named a Distinguished Purdue Alumni. He and his wife are the named benefactors of Purdue’s Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Design, Art and Performance. He serves on the Purdue President’s College of Liberal Arts Dean’s Advisory Committee. He is an Emeritus Trustee (and former President) of the Board of San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), current Co-Chair and member of the Board of The National Council for the American Theater, former Chair of The Grammy Foundation in LA, and a founding Board Member of The GRAMMY Music Education Coalition. In 2013, he co-founded Tech4America (T4A.org). He co-authored Talent Force: A New Manifesto for the Human Side of Business (Prentice-Hall, 2006) and The Faith Code: A Future-Proof Framework for a Life of Meaning and Impact (Morehouse, 2023). Rusty regularly writes and speaks and was the co-founder and co- host of The Faith Driven Entrepreneur podcast. Rusty, his wife Patti, and Theo (French Bulldog), reside in Burlingame, CA. and Charlestown, RI.
"Protecting our intended democracy, that I care so deeply about, and preventing a slide into authoritarianism is mission critical right now,” says Rueff. “That’s why I’m so glad to be joining RepresentUs to do what I believe all Americans should do; participate where they can.Their focus on grassroots education and influencing Congress is a systemic strategy that works to hold the administration accountable, and it’s deeply needed.”
RepresentUs is dedicated to making sure the government serves the people, not just the powerful. Through a strategy of educating nationally and activating locally, the organization builds awareness of the corruption and anti-democratic initiatives happening in Washington, DC, and equips constituents with tailored guidance and direct, specific action they can take right now to make a difference.
RepresentUs is RepresentUs is the nation’s largest nonpartisan organization dedicated to building a movement that makes government truly accountable to the American people. We unite people from all backgrounds to defend democracy, root out corruption, mobilize action, and support campaigns at every level to build a political system that truly serves the public.