True values
Barbara Ruddy’s years as the World Bank’s field operations coordinator in Africa fueled her appreciation for African art. Her vast collection fills every available nook and cranny in her favorite hangout, her home’s “African Room,” as well as throughout the rest of her Vero Beach residence. TOM WILBY
Tireless philanthropist has spent a lifetime investing in people
John Matthews
Ruddy, center, leads the crowd during the 2023 opening of the bridge that connects Veterans Memorial Island with mainland Vero Beach.
Suzy McCoy Shriner once asked her friend, Indian River and Brevard County philanthropist and community activist Barbara Ruddy, to describe herself.
“She said, ‘the Energizer Bunny,’” recalled Shriner. “It was perfect and completely accurate. Her energy is boundless, her spirit contagious and her dedication unwavering.”
Indeed, chatting with Ruddy is a delightful rollercoaster ride through an amusement park of subjects: from her collection of African artifacts to the gustatory pleasures found in the Irish corned beef pockets served at Vero Beach’s Kilted Mermaid neighborhood pub. The thread that unites the conversation is Ruddy’s passion for helping others.
Shriner knows Ruddy from her tireless efforts serving Impact 100, which brings together the women of Indian River County to collectively fund and support local nonprofits making transformational, sustainable change in the community.
Maria Sonnenberg
Maria is a prolific writer and proofer for Space Coast Living and an adjunct professor at Florida Institute of Technology’s Nathan M. Bisk College of Business. When not writing, teaching or traveling, she can be found waging a one-woman war against her lawn and futilely attempting to maintain order among the chaos of a pack of extremely clueless wirehair dachshunds and an angst-driven basset hound.
